by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard. 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:
Our analysis looked at 110 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones have 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. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
When determining the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region ranking, we first look at its average net price of a student coming from a family that makes $30-$48k 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 consider 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.
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 Stanford University to be the best value (income $30-$48k) school for master’s degrees in the Far Western US Region in this year’s ranking. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Stanford University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in California for overall quality.
The quality degree programs at California Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region. Located in Pasadena, California, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Learn More About Value at California Institute of Technology
Out of the 110 master’s degree schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Washington - Seattle Campus a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Washington for overall quality.
Read full value report on University of Washington - Seattle Campus
A rank of #4 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for students working on their degree. 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.
Learn More About Value at University of California - Los Angeles
A rank of #5 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for students working on their degree. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California.
Not only is University of California - Berkeley a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in California for overall quality.
Learn More About Value at University of California - Berkeley
San Diego State University landed the #6 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in San Diego, California, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, San Diego State University is ranked #32 for quality in the state of California.
University of Southern California came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region ranking. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and has a large student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
University of Southern California has the honor of being ranked #2 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Washington State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #8. Pullman, Washington 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, Washington State University is ranked #5 for quality in the state of Washington.
University of California - Irvine ranked #9 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Irvine, California, the school is a large public institution.
Not only is University of California - Irvine a great value, but it is also ranked #14 in California for overall quality.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school located in Los Angeles, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Los Angeles is ranked #56 for quality in the state of California.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Los Angeles
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #11. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California.
Not only is University of California - San Diego a great value, but it is also ranked #7 in California for overall quality.
Read full value report on University of California - San Diego
California State University - San Bernardino came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region ranking. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
California State University - San Bernardino has the honor of being ranked #62 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on California State University - San Bernardino
With a ranking of #13, Western Washington University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region list. Bellingham, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Western Washington University a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in Washington for overall quality.
California State University - Fullerton ranked #14 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region list. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California.
Not only is California State University - Fullerton a great value, but it is also ranked #54 in California for overall quality.
Read full value report on California State University - Fullerton
With a ranking of #15, Heritage University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Toppenish, Washington, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Heritage University has the honor of being ranked #11 in Washington for overall quality on top of being a good value.
California State University - Long Beach came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region ranking. Long Beach, 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 - Long Beach is ranked #38 for quality in the state of California.
Read full value report on California State University - Long Beach
With a ranking of #17, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region list. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is California State University - Dominguez Hills a great value, but it is also ranked #65 in California for overall quality.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Dominguez Hills
California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #18 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region list. CSUMB is a medium-sized public school situated in Seaside, California.
Not only is California State University - Monterey Bay a great value, but it is also ranked #71 in California for overall quality.
Full California State University - Monterey Bay Value Report
With a ranking of #19, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region list. This large public school is located in Fresno, California.
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
California State University - Sacramento came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region ranking. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California.
California State University - Sacramento has the honor of being ranked #52 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on California State University - Sacramento
University of California - Davis ranked #21 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region list. This large public school is located in Davis, California.
University of California - Davis has the honor of being ranked #13 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
California State University - Northridge ranked #22 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region list. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
California State University - Northridge has the honor of being ranked #45 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Santa Barbara, California, the school is a large public institution.
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.
Read full value report on University of California - Santa Barbara
Sonoma State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #24. Sonoma State University is a medium-sized public school located in Rohnert Park, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Sonoma State University is ranked #77 for quality in the state of California.
California State University - Stanislaus landed the #25 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region ranking. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
California State University - Stanislaus has the honor of being ranked #72 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on California State University - Stanislaus
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.