Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Sociology Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

21 Colleges
$15,490 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,847 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Sociology School for You

In 2020-2021, 269 degrees and certificates were awarded to sociology students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #69 most popular major in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Value Sociology Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 21 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for sociology students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

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

$7,852 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found San Jose State University to be the best value school for sociology students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school 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 Sociology Schools in California list.

Read full report on Sociology at San Jose State University

$14,226 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of California - Berkeley to be the best value school for sociology students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Berkeley are $14,226 per year.

UC Berkeley also made our Best Sociology Schools in California list, coming in at #3.

Read More…

$6,976 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 a year.

Read full report on Sociology at California State University - Fullerton

$13,258 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

UCLA undergraduate students pay an average of $13,258 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UCLA is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Sociology Schools in California list.

Read full report on Sociology at University of California - Los Angeles

#5

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
$8,136 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 21 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Diego.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SDSU are $8,136 a year.

Read full report on Sociology at San Diego State University

$7,392 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Sacramento landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value sociology programs. Sac State is a very large public school located in the city of Sacramento.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Sac State are $7,392 a year.

Full Sociology at California State University - Sacramento Report

$7,043 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Northridge did quite well on this year’s best value schools for sociology students. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the city of Northridge.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUN are $7,043 per year.

Read More…

$13,775 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Irvine ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Irvine are $13,775 per year.

Read More…

$7,060 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value sociology programs. Located in the city of Carson, CSUDH is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUDH are $7,060 per year.

Read More…

$7,727 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - San Marcos ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools in California list. CSUSM is a large public school located in the suburb of San Marcos.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUSM are $7,727 a year.

Full Sociology at California State University - San Marcos Report

Best Value Sociology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 11
Oregon 17
Nevada 7
Hawaii 3

One of 12 majors within the area of study, sociology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Sociology

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 6,173
International Relations & National Security 5,010
Political Science & Government 2,664
Geography & Cartography 2,315
Anthropology 1,446

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 21 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.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

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