by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California ranking. This list may shock you as many typically expensive schools are very generous with need-based financial aid.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
After analyzing 70 schools in California, we came up with our list of those that offered the best value Master's Degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
When determining the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California ranking, we first look at its average net price of a student coming from a family that makes $0-$30k a year. The net price is defined as the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that the student receives. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Stanford University the best value (income $0-$30k) school in California for students working on their master’s degree. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California.
Not only is Stanford University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in California for overall quality.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California.
University of California - Los Angeles has the honor of being ranked #5 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on University of California - Los Angeles
Out of the 70 master’s degree schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #3 spot on the list. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California.
San Diego State University has the honor of being ranked #32 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California list. Located in Berkeley, California, the school is a large public institution.
University of California - Berkeley has the honor of being ranked #4 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
The quality degree programs at California Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California.
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California ranking, coming in at #6. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
University of California - San Diego has the honor of being ranked #7 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of Southern California landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California ranking. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school located in Los Angeles, California.
University of Southern California has the honor of being ranked #2 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of California - Irvine ranked #8 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California list. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - Irvine is ranked #14 for quality in the state of California.
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #9 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is California State University - Los Angeles a great value, but it is also ranked #56 in California for overall quality.
Read full value report on California State University - Los Angeles
California State University - Fullerton ranked #10 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California list. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California.
California State University - Fullerton has the honor of being ranked #54 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Fullerton
With a ranking of #11, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California list. This fairly large public school is located in San Bernardino, California.
Not only is California State University - San Bernardino a great value, but it is also ranked #62 in California for overall quality.
Learn More About Value at California State University - San Bernardino
California State University - Long Beach landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California ranking. This large public school is located in Long Beach, California.
Not only is California State University - Long Beach a great value, but it is also ranked #38 in California for overall quality.
Read full value report on California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California ranking. Located in Seaside, California, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Not only is California State University - Monterey Bay a great value, but it is also ranked #71 in California for overall quality.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Monterey Bay
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Sacramento, California, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Sacramento is ranked #52 for quality in the state of California.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Sacramento
California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large public school located in Carson, California.
California State University - Dominguez Hills has the honor of being ranked #65 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Dominguez Hills
With a ranking of #16, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Fresno is ranked #55 for quality in the state of California.
Read full value report on California State University - Fresno
University of California - Davis ranked #17 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California list. Located in Davis, California, the school is a large public institution.
University of California - Davis has the honor of being ranked #13 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Sonoma State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California list. This medium-sized public school is located in Rohnert Park, California.
Not only is Sonoma State University a great value, but it is also ranked #77 in California for overall quality.
With a ranking of #19, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California list. This large public school is located in Northridge, California.
California State University - Northridge has the honor of being ranked #45 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on California State University - Northridge
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #20 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - Santa Barbara is ranked #11 for quality in the state of California.
Learn More About Value at University of California - Santa Barbara
California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California ranking, coming in at #21. CSUB is located in Bakersfield, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Bakersfield is ranked #63 for quality in the state of California.
Read full value report on California State University - Bakersfield
California State University - Stanislaus landed the #22 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California ranking. Stan State is a public institution located in Turlock, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Stanislaus is ranked #72 for quality in the state of California.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Stanislaus
With a ranking of #23, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California list. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, San Jose State University is ranked #24 for quality in the state of California.
University of the Pacific came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California ranking. University of the Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Stockton, California.
University of the Pacific has the honor of being ranked #26 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
National University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in California list. National University is located in La Jolla, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, National University is ranked #17 for quality in the state of California.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.