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Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

56 Colleges
$6,437 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$35,887 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Social Sciences School for You

Social Sciences is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 51,430 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 4th out of all the majors we track in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 56 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for social sciences students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California

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

Top 10 Best 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 social sciences students who want to pursue a degree in California. SRJC is a large public school located in the midsize 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 Social Sciences Schools in California ranking.

Read More…

#2

East Los Angeles College

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Los Angeles College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California list. East Los Angeles College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Monterey Park.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at East Los Angeles College are $1,238 a year. On average, social sciences graduates from East Los Angeles College take out $5,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Social Sciences at East Los Angeles College

#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 Social Sciences Schools in California list. Butte College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Oroville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Butte College are $1,368 a year. The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at Butte College take out is $10,000.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Butte College

#4

American River College

Sacramento, CA

Out of the 56 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, American River College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Sacramento, American River is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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#5

Mt. San Jacinto College

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

Out of the 56 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Mt. San Jacinto College landed the # 5 spot on the list. MSJC is a large public school located in the midsize suburb of San Jacinto.

MSJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,406 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from MSJC carry an average student debtload of $5,500.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Mt. San Jacinto College

#6

Antelope Valley College

Lancaster, CA
$1,124 Average Tuition & Fees

Antelope Valley College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Lancaster, Antelope Valley College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Antelope Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,124 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from Antelope Valley College carry an average student debtload of $13,530.

Full Social Sciences at Antelope Valley College Report

$6,817 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Channel Islands did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social sciences students. Located in the suburb of Camarillo, CSUCI is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUCI are $6,817 per year. The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at CSUCI take out is $18,148.

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$6,995 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - East Bay ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State East Bay are $6,995 per year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from Cal State East Bay carry an average student debtload of $16,425.

Full Social Sciences at California State University - East Bay Report

$6,653 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Fresno ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in California list. Fresno State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fresno.

Fresno State undergraduate students pay an average of $6,653 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Social Sciences majors at Fresno State take out an average of $13,874 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Social Sciences at California State University - Fresno

#10

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA

With a ranking of #10, San Jose State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social sciences students. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jose State are $7,852 per year.

San Jose State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Social Sciences Schools in California list.

Full Social Sciences at San Jose State University Report

Best Value Social Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
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

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.

  • 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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