2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
Top 10 Best Sociology Schools
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 medium-sized city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SRJC are $1,328 a year.
SRJC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Sociology Schools in California list.
Full Sociology at Santa Rosa Junior College Report
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The excellent programs at East Los Angeles College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best sociology schools in California. Located in the large suburb of Monterey Park, East Los Angeles College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at East Los Angeles College are $1,238 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Barstow Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California list. Located in the town of Barstow, Barstow Community College is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Barstow Community College are $1,104 per year.
Full Sociology at Barstow Community College Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend American River College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California list. American River is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Sacramento.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Antelope Valley College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California list. Antelope Valley College is a large public school located in the 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.
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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.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Butte College are $1,368 per year.
Full Sociology at Butte College Report
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Mt. San Jacinto College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of San Jacinto, MSJC is a public school with a large student population.
MSJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,406 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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California State University - Channel Islands landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value sociology programs. CSUCI is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize 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.
Full Sociology at California State University - Channel Islands Report
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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 suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State East Bay are $6,995 per 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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San Jose State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools in California ranking. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, San Jose State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Sociology Schools in California list.
Read full report on Sociology at San Jose State University
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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 |
More Sociology Rankings in California
Majors Related to Sociology
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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