by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best California Schools For The Money For Those Making $30-$48k for an Associate ranking - to help you make that decision. The amount of financial aid you could receive at various schools, including some with high sticker prices, may surprise you.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
We analyzed 90 schools across California to determine which have the best value Associate Degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
To calculate the value of a school in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $30-$48k a year. The net price is the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that 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 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.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
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 analysis found Golden West College to be the best value (income $30-$48k) school for associate degrees in California in this year’s ranking. Golden West College is a fairly large public school situated in Huntington Beach, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Golden West College is ranked #2 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,515.
A rank of #2 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list means West Valley College is a great place for students working on their degree. West Valley College is a public institution located in Saratoga, California.
Not only is West Valley College a great value, but it is also ranked #21 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $1,394.
Out of the 90 associate degree schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Southwestern College landed the #3 spot on the list. Chula Vista, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Southwestern College has the honor of being ranked #4 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,452.
A rank of #4 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list means Moreno Valley College is a great place for students working on their degree. Moreno Valley College is a medium-sized public school located in Moreno Valley, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Moreno Valley College is ranked #32 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $1,113.
A rank of #5 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list means Ventura College is a great place for students working on their degree. Ventura College is located in Ventura, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Ventura College a great value, but it is also ranked #44 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $282.
Pasadena City College landed the #6 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. Pasadena, 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, Pasadena City College is ranked #10 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $3,697.
With a ranking of #7, College of the Canyons did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. College of the Canyons is located in Santa Clarita, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is College of the Canyons a great value, but it is also ranked #28 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,938.
With a ranking of #8, Saddleback College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Saddleback College is a public institution located in Mission Viejo, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Saddleback College is ranked #6 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $5,842.
Fresno City College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Fresno, California, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Fresno City College is ranked #25 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,838.
Mt. San Antonio College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #10. Mt. SAC is located in Walnut, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Mt. San Antonio College is ranked #30 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,327.
Santa Rosa Junior College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Santa Rosa Junior College is a fairly large public school located in Santa Rosa, California.
Santa Rosa Junior College has the honor of being ranked #8 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,087.
Moorpark College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. This fairly large public school is located in Moorpark, California.
Not only is Moorpark College a great value, but it is also ranked #57 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $811.
Santa Ana College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #13. Santa Ana, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Santa Ana College has the honor of being ranked #39 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,851.
With a ranking of #14, Cerritos College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Located in Norwalk, California, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Cerritos College has the honor of being ranked #12 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,432.
Foothill College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. Foothill College is a fairly large public school situated in Los Altos Hills, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Foothill College is ranked #5 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $7,214.
Riverside City College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Riverside, California, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Not only is Riverside City College a great value, but it is also ranked #23 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,598.
Orange Coast College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. Costa Mesa, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Orange Coast College a great value, but it is also ranked #27 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,534.
MiraCosta College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Located in Oceanside, California, the school is a fairly large public institution.
MiraCosta College has the honor of being ranked #35 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $3,876.
Santa Monica College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Santa Monica, California, the school is a large public institution.
Not only is Santa Monica College a great value, but it is also ranked #45 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,997.
With a ranking of #20, Grossmont College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Grossmont College is a fairly large public school located in El Cajon, California.
Grossmont College has the honor of being ranked #43 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,370.
Canada College landed the #21 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. Canada College is a small public school situated in Redwood City, California.
Canada College has the honor of being ranked #48 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $2,710.
Los Medanos College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Pittsburg, California.
Los Medanos College has the honor of being ranked #40 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,824.
With a ranking of #23, Imperial Valley College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Imperial Valley College is a medium-sized public school located in Imperial, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Imperial Valley College is ranked #73 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $866.
Sacramento City College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Sacramento, California.
Sacramento City College has the honor of being ranked #26 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $5,686.
With a ranking of #25, Coastline Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Coastline Community College is located in Fountain Valley, California and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Coastline Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,801.
View Best Value Associate Degree Schools (Income $30-$48k) Nationwide >
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.