Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region

81 Colleges
$35,260 Avg Salary
$19,465 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Social Sciences School for You

In 2020-2021, 205,984 social sciences students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #6 most popular in the country.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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 Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 81 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Social Sciences Colleges.

Top 15% Best Social Sciences Schools

#1

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Claremont McKenna College the best school in the Far Western US Region for social sciences students. Located in the large suburb of Claremont, Claremont McKenna is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at Claremont McKenna take out is $14,000.

Full Social Sciences at Claremont McKenna College Report

#2

Pomona College

Claremont, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Pomona College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Pomona is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Claremont.

Full Social Sciences at Pomona College Report

#3

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the city of Berkeley.

While working on their degree, social sciences majors at UC Berkeley accumulate an average of around $13,497 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $306, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Social Sciences at University of California - Berkeley Report

#5

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Clara University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, social sciences graduates from SCU take out $22,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Social Sciences at Santa Clara University Report

#6

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA

Santa Rosa Junior College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public school with a large student population.

Read More…

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. UCLA is a very large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

While working on their degree, social sciences majors at UCLA accumulate an average of around $14,584 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $208, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles

University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public college with a very large student population.

Social Sciences majors at UW Seattle take out an average of $17,884 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $333.

Read More…

University of Southern California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social sciences students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, social sciences majors at USC accumulate an average of around $15,422 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $353.

Read More…

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social sciences students. It came in at #10 on the list. UCSB is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.

The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at UCSB take out is $15,310. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $290.

Read More…

Claremont Graduate University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social sciences students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the suburb of Claremont, Claremont Graduate University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Social Sciences at Claremont Graduate University Report

#12

Occidental College

Los Angeles, CA

Occidental College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social sciences programs. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Oxy is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at Oxy take out is $21,482.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Occidental College

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

Rank College Location
13 The University of Arizona Global Campus San Diego, CA
14 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
15 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
16 Linfield University - McMinnville Campus McMinnville, OR

Best Social Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best social sciences schools for a specific state in the Far Western US region.

State Degrees Awarded
California 51,430
Washington 3,812
Oregon 2,748
Hawaii 586
Nevada 925
Alaska 90

Social Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Economics 49,055
Sociology 38,475
General Social Sciences 18,997
International Relations & National Security 14,306
Anthropology 11,415
Criminology 11,039
Geography & Cartography 8,526
Other Social Sciences 2,414
Urban Studies 1,507
Sociology & Anthropology 541
Archeology 339
Demography & Population Studies 88

Majors Similar to Social Sciences

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 327,871
Psychology 195,678
Communication & Journalism 120,571
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 55,820
History 32,731

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 AndrГ© KГјnzelmann.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.