by our College Data Analytics TeamWhen pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Bachelor's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking is part of that endeavor. 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:
We analyzed 85 schools across California to determine which have the best value Bachelor's Degree programs. Instead of depending on subjective information to rank the best value schools, we focus on objective factors in our analysis. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
The first step of determing the value of a school in our Best Bachelor's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking is to look at the school's average net price for students with families that make $30-$48k a year. The net price is the sum of tuition, fees, and room and board minus any financial aid awarded to the student. 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 combination 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 analysis found Stanford University to be the best value (income $30-$48k) school for bachelor’s degrees in California in this year’s ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Stanford, California.
Not only is Stanford University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in California for overall quality.
A rank of #2 on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list means California Institute of Technology is a great place for students working on their degree. Caltech is located in Pasadena, California and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
California Institute of Technology has the honor of being ranked #4 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 $1,371.
Read full value report on California Institute of Technology
The quality degree programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California. Located in Los Angeles, California, the school is a large public institution.
University of California - Los Angeles has the honor of being ranked #6 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 $7,882.
Out of the 85 bachelor’s degree schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Pomona College landed the #4 spot on the list. Pomona is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California.
Pomona College has the honor of being ranked #14 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 $3,508.
The quality degree programs at Claremont McKenna College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Claremont McKenna College has the honor of being ranked #5 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 $9,160.
With a ranking of #6, Foothill College did quite well on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Foothill College is a fairly large public school located in Los Altos Hills, California.
Not only is Foothill College a great value, but it is also ranked #7 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $7,214.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - Berkeley is ranked #3 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $10,880.
Learn More About Value at University of California - Berkeley
San Diego State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is San Diego State University a great value, but it is also ranked #18 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,563.
University of California - Irvine landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. This large public school is located in Irvine, California.
Not only is University of California - Irvine 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 $7,006.
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #10. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California.
Not only is University of Southern California a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,875.
California State University - Fullerton came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school located in Fullerton, California.
Not only is California State University - Fullerton a great value, but it is also ranked #35 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,681.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Fullerton
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Los Angeles, 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 - Los Angeles is ranked #52 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $1,316.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Los Angeles
With a ranking of #13, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California.
University of California - San Diego has the honor of being ranked #9 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 $10,192.
California State University - San Bernardino landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. 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 #63 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $901.
Learn More About Value at California State University - San Bernardino
University of California - Davis landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California.
Not only is University of California - Davis a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $11,011.
California State University - Long Beach came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. This large public school is located in Long Beach, California.
California State University - Long Beach has the honor of being ranked #28 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 $6,128.
Read full value report on California State University - Long Beach
Pitzer College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. Pitzer is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California.
Pitzer College has the honor of being ranked #36 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 $4,759.
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #18. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Sacramento is ranked #37 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,796.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Sacramento
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school located in Santa Barbara, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - Santa Barbara is ranked #8 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,305.
Read full value report on University of California - Santa Barbara
Harvey Mudd College did quite well in the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #20. Harvey Mudd College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Claremont, California.
Not only is Harvey Mudd College a great value, but it is also ranked #11 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $11,711.
With a ranking of #21, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Rohnert Park, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Sonoma State University has the honor of being ranked #59 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 $3,117.
With a ranking of #22, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Fresno is ranked #49 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,477.
With a ranking of #23, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. CSUDH is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California.
California State University - Dominguez Hills has the honor of being ranked #68 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 $2,736.
Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Value Report
California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #24 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Seaside, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
California State University - Monterey Bay has the honor of being ranked #73 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 $2,520.
Read full value report on California State University - Monterey Bay
California State University - Northridge landed the #25 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. This large public school is located in Northridge, California.
Not only is California State University - Northridge a great value, but it is also ranked #40 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,756.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Northridge
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.