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Best Value Sociology Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

63 Colleges
$6,403 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,847 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Sociology School for You

Sociology is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 15,498 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 6th out of all the majors we track in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Sociology Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 63 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for sociology students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California

Check out the sociology programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Sociology 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 sociology students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the midsize city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public college with a large student population.

SRJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,328 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, SRJC also did well on our Best Sociology Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#2

East Los Angeles College

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend East Los Angeles College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Monterey Park, East Los Angeles College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at East Los Angeles College are $1,238 per year.

Full Sociology at East Los Angeles College Report

$1,104 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Barstow Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California list. Located in the distant town of Barstow, Barstow Community College is a public college with a small student population.

Barstow Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,104 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Sociology at Barstow Community College Report

#4

American River College

Sacramento, CA

The excellent programs at American River College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best sociology schools in California. American River is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Sacramento.

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#5

Antelope Valley College

Lancaster, CA
$1,124 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Antelope Valley College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best sociology schools in California. Antelope Valley College is a large public school located in the large suburb of Lancaster.

Antelope Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,124 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, sociology graduates from Antelope Valley College take out $17,184 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Sociology at Antelope Valley College

#6

Butte College

Oroville, CA
$1,368 Average Tuition & Fees

Butte College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in California ranking. Located in the rural area of Oroville, Butte College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Butte College are $1,368 a year.

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#7

Mt. San Jacinto College

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

Mt. San Jacinto College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value sociology programs. Located in the midsize suburb of San Jacinto, MSJC is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MSJC are $1,406 a year.

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$6,817 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Channel Islands ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California list. CSUCI is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Camarillo.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUCI are $6,817 a year. The average amount in student loans that sociology majors at CSUCI take out is $16,860.

Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Channel Islands

$6,995 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - East Bay came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in California ranking. Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public school with a large student population.

Cal State East Bay undergraduate students pay an average of $6,995 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Sociology majors at Cal State East Bay take out an average of $17,600 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#10

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA

San Jose State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.

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

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 20% of our Best Sociology Schools in California ranking.

Read full report on Sociology at San Jose State University

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great value schools for Sociology students in the state of California seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Sociology Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
11 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
12 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA

Best Value Sociology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 650
Oregon 341
Nevada 120
Hawaii 96
Alaska 5

Sociology is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Sociology

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Economics 49,055
General Social Sciences 18,997
International Relations & National Security 14,306
Anthropology 11,415

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 Kontos.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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