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Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in California

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2023 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

26 Colleges
$17,473 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$28,123 Avg Salary

Finding the Best General Social Sciences School for You

General Social Sciences is the #13 most popular major in California with 9,314 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 26 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for social sciences students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for social sciences majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best General Social Sciences Schools

#1

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA
$1,328 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Santa Rosa Junior College to be the best value school for general social sciences students who want to pursue a degree in California. SRJC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Santa Rosa.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SRJC are $1,328 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SRJC also is in the top 10% of our Best General Social Sciences Schools in California ranking.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at Santa Rosa Junior College

#2

East Los Angeles College

Monterey Park, CA
$1,238 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means East Los Angeles College is a great value for general social sciences students. East Los Angeles College is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Monterey Park.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at East Los Angeles College are $1,238 per year. Social Sciences majors at East Los Angeles College take out an average of $5,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full General Social Sciences at East Los Angeles College Report

#3

Butte College

Oroville, CA
$1,368 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Butte College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in California list. Butte College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Oroville.

Butte College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,368 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, social sciences graduates from Butte College take out $10,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

#4

American River College

Sacramento, CA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means American River College is a great value for general social sciences students. Located in the suburb of Sacramento, American River is a public school with a very large student population.

Full General Social Sciences at American River College Report

$1,104 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Barstow Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in California list. Barstow Community College is a small public school located in the distant town of Barstow.

Barstow Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,104 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, social sciences majors at Barstow Community College accumulate an average of around $6,559 in student debt.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at Barstow Community College

#6

Mt. San Jacinto College

San Jacinto, CA
$1,406 Average Tuition & Fees

Mt. San Jacinto College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general social sciences programs. MSJC is a large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of San Jacinto.

MSJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,406 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at MSJC take out is $5,500.

Full General Social Sciences at Mt. San Jacinto College Report

#7

Antelope Valley College

Lancaster, CA
$1,124 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Antelope Valley College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general social sciences students. Located in the suburb of Lancaster, Antelope Valley College is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Antelope Valley College are $1,124 a year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from Antelope Valley College carry an average student debtload of $9,875.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at Antelope Valley College

San Jose State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general social sciences programs. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

San Jose State also claimed a spot on our Best General Social Sciences Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full General Social Sciences at San Jose State University Report

$7,218 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in California ranking. CSUMB is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Seaside.

CSUMB undergraduate students pay an average of $7,218 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, social sciences graduates from CSUMB take out $13,725 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

$7,727 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general social sciences students. CSUSM is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Marcos.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUSM are $7,727 per year. While working on their degree, social sciences majors at CSUSM accumulate an average of around $16,650 in student debt.

Read full report on General Social Sciences at California State University - San Marcos

Best Value General Social Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 518
Oregon 614
Nevada 32
Hawaii 134
Alaska 21

One of 12 majors within the area of study, general social sciences has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Economics 49,055
Sociology 38,475
International Relations & National Security 14,306
Anthropology 11,415

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 26 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Manfred Werner (Tsui).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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