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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Anthropology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

26 Colleges in California
1,513 Bachelor's Degrees
$27,580 Avg Early-Career Salary
Anthropology is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #59 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 26 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Anthropology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,513 bachelor's degrees in anthropology to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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Choosing a Great Anthropology School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Anthropology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of anthropology for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality anthropology program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for anthropology students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Anthropology Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Anthropology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Anthropology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

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Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Anthropology in California

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for anthropology students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Anthropology

1
185 Annual Graduates
$32,300 Median Starting Salary
$25,338 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in anthropology needs to look into University of California - Los Angeles. UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.

Bachelor's recipients from the anthropology degree program at University of California - Los Angeles make $4,720 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of California - Los Angeles

2

University of California - Berkeley is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in anthropology. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the anthropology program report average early career income of $28,661.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of California - Berkeley

3
121 Annual Graduates
$31,420 Median Starting Salary
$24,000 Median Student Debt

University of California - Santa Barbara is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in anthropology. UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Santa Barbara.

Those anthropology students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Santa Barbara receive $3,840 more than the typical anthropology student.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of California - Santa Barbara

4

University of California - Davis is a great option for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in anthropology. UC Davis is a very large public university located in the small suburb of Davis.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the anthropology program report average early career earnings of $28,059.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of California - Davis

5

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the anthropology program earn about $28,543 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of California - San Diego

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6
90 Annual Graduates
$26,178 Median Starting Salary
$12,838 Median Student Debt

UCR is a very large public university located in the large city of Riverside.

After graduation, anthropology bachelor's recipients usually earn around $26,178 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of California - Riverside

7
51 Annual Graduates
$30,509 Median Starting Salary
$17,130 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population.

Anthropology bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Irvine receive an earnings boost of about $2,929 above the average income of anthropology majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of California - Irvine

8
124 Annual Graduates
$23,152 Median Starting Salary
$24,061 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, anthropology bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $23,152 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of California - Santa Cruz

9

Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, anthropology bachelor's recipients generally make around $28,314 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from San Francisco State University

10

Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the anthropology program state that they receive average early career income of $25,553.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from San Diego State University

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Best Anthropology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 219
Oregon 185 203
Nevada 129 79
Hawaii 112 50
Alaska 75 21
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One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Anthropology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Anthropology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Anthropology 1,468
Other Anthropology 36
Cultural Anthropology 9
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Majors Similar to Anthropology

Related Major Annual Graduates
Sociology 8,090
Economics 6,016
Political Science & Government 5,663
International Relations & National Security 736
General Social Sciences 525
Geography & Cartography 506
Other Social Sciences 320
Urban Studies 217
Archeology 15

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Notes and References

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