2023 Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region
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
Our analysis found Claremont McKenna College to be the best school for social sciences students who want to pursue a degree in the Far Western US Region . 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.
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The excellent programs at Pomona College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best social sciences schools in the Far Western US Region . Pomona is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Claremont.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Stanford University is a great place for social sciences students. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
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The excellent programs at University of California - Berkeley helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best social sciences schools in the Far Western US Region . 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.
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The excellent programs at Santa Clara University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best social sciences schools in the Far Western US Region . Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit college 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.
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Santa Rosa Junior College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social sciences students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public college with a large student population.
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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 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.
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University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public college with a fairly 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.
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University of Southern California came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a very 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.
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University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the midsize 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.
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Claremont Graduate University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Claremont, Claremont Graduate University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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With a ranking of #12, Occidental College did quite well on this year’s best schools for social sciences students. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Oxy is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at Oxy take out is $21,482.
Full Social Sciences at Occidental College Report
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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 | School Removed | |
| 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 colleges 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 |
More Social Sciences Rankings in the Far Western US Region
Social Sciences Related Rankings by Major
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.
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