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Best Value General Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Value General Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

10 Colleges
$30,409 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$35,282 Avg Salary

Finding the Best General Education Bachelor's Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, general education was ranked 2nd in California. In fact, 7,063 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which teaching program is right 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, Teaching Degree Search has developed this Best Value General Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in California to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for education students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

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

2023 Best Value General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California

Check out the education bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best General Education Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found University of California - San Diego to be the best value school for general education students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in California. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UCSD undergraduate students pay an average of $14,700 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on General Education at University of California - San Diego

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of California - Irvine helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value general education schools in California. UC Irvine is a fairly large public school located in the city of Irvine.

UC Irvine undergraduate students pay an average of $13,775 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, education majors at UC Irvine accumulate an average of around $15,329 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $230, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on General Education at University of California - Irvine

#4

Northcentral University

San Diego, CA

Out of the 10 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Northcentral University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Northcentral University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northcentral University are $12,594 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, education majors at Northcentral University accumulate an average of around $29,085 in student debt.

Full General Education at Northcentral University Report

#5

Mills College

Oakland, CA

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Mills College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value general education schools in California. Mills is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Oakland.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mills are $30,950 per year.

Full General Education at Mills College Report

Dominican University of California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for general education students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the small city of San Rafael, DUofC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

DUofC undergraduate students pay an average of $47,910 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#7

Biola University

La Mirada, CA

With a ranking of #7, Biola University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of La Mirada, Biola is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Biola undergraduate students pay an average of $44,382 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full General Education at Biola University Report

#7

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA

Mount Saint Mary’s University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, MSMU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

MSMU undergraduate students pay an average of $45,388 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full General Education at Mount Saint Mary’s University Report

Hope International University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree general education programs. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Hope is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hope are $35,450 per year.

Read More…

#10

Chapman University

Orange, CA

Chapman University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Chapman are $58,634 a year. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $297, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Best Value General Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 728
Oregon 767
Nevada 36
Hawaii 64
Alaska 26

One of 14 majors within the teaching area of study, general education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Education Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Education 29,810

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 110,226
Educational Administration 46,469
Teacher Education Subject Specific 43,297
Special Education 36,792
Curriculum & Instruction 19,832

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 10 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 KOKUYO.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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