by our College Data Analytics TeamWhen pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking as one thing you can use to help make this 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:
Our analysis looked at 67 schools in California to determine which ones have the best value Master's Degree programs. Instead of depending on subjective information to rank the best value schools, we focus on objective factors in our analysis. 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 Master's 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 consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection 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:
Stanford University tops this year’s ranking as the best value (income $30-$48k) school for master’s degrees in California for overall quality. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Stanford University has the honor of being ranked #1 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
A rank of #2 on our Best Master’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. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Pasadena, California.
Read full value report on California Institute of Technology
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
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
Out of the 67 master’s degree schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California.
Not only is University of California - Berkeley a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in California for overall quality.
Read full value report on University of California - Berkeley
Out of the 67 master’s degree schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #5 spot on the list. SDSU is located in San Diego, 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 Diego State University is ranked #32 for quality in the state of California.
University of Southern California came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, the school is a large private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Southern California is ranked #2 for quality in the state of California.
University of California - Irvine ranked #7 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Located in Irvine, California, the school is a large public institution.
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.
With a ranking of #8, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’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.
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
With a ranking of #9, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is University of California - San Diego a great value, but it is also ranked #7 in California for overall quality.
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #10. 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.
Learn More About Value at California State University - San Bernardino
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #11. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
California State University - Fullerton has the honor of being ranked #54 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on California State University - Fullerton
California State University - Long Beach landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, the school is a large public institution.
California State University - Long Beach has the honor of being ranked #38 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #13 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Carson, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Dominguez Hills is ranked #65 for quality in the state of California.
Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Value Report
California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #14. California State University - Monterey Bay is a medium-sized public school located 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.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Monterey Bay
California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #15. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is California State University - Fresno a great value, but it is also ranked #55 in California for overall quality.
Read full value report on California State University - Fresno
California State University - Sacramento ranked #16 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. Sac State is located in Sacramento, 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 - Sacramento is ranked #52 for quality in the state of California.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Sacramento
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #17. 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 #13 in California for overall quality.
California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Northridge, California, the school is a large public institution.
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 came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California.
University of California - Santa Barbara has the honor of being ranked #11 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Learn More About Value at 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 California ranking, coming in at #20. 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.
With a ranking of #21, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. 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.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Stanislaus
California State University - Bakersfield landed the #22 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly 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 - Bakersfield is ranked #63 for quality in the state of California.
Saint Mary’s College of California came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. Located in Moraga, California, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Saint Mary’s College of California has the honor of being ranked #18 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Learn More About Value at Saint Mary’s College of California
San Jose State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California list. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California.
San Jose State University has the honor of being ranked #24 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of Redlands landed the #25 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in California ranking. University of Redlands is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Redlands, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Redlands is ranked #16 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.