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 Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking is part of that endeavor. A school that typically has a high sticker price may actually be very affordable, depending on how much need-based financial aid you receive.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
We analyzed 88 schools across California to determine which have the best value Associate Degree programs. Instead of depending on subjective information to rank the best value schools, we focus on objective factors in our analysis. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
When determining the value of a school in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking, we first look at its average net price of a student coming from a family that makes $48-$75k 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 account for this we include a school'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.
We go into more detail on these factors on 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 Golden West College to be the best value (income $48-$75k) school for associate degrees in California in this year’s ranking. Golden West College is a public institution located 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 $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,429.
Out of the 88 associate degree schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Southwestern College landed the #2 spot on the list. SWC Chula Vista is a public institution located in Chula Vista, California.
Not only is Southwestern College a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $7,131.
A rank of #3 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list means Pasadena City College is a great place for students working on their degree. Pasadena City College is a large public school located in Pasadena, California.
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 $48-$75k per year is $6,469.
A rank of #4 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) 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.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, West Valley College is ranked #21 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,399.
The quality degree programs at Ventura College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California. Ventura College is a fairly large public school situated in Ventura, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Ventura College is ranked #44 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,433.
Moreno Valley College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Located in Moreno Valley, California, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
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. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,744.
Saddleback College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. Saddleback College is a public institution located in Mission Viejo, California.
Saddleback College has the honor of being ranked #6 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,351.
College of the Canyons landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. College of the Canyons is a fairly large public school located in Santa Clarita, California.
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 $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,180.
Riverside City College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Riverside City College is a fairly large public school situated in Riverside, California.
Riverside City College has the honor of being ranked #23 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $7,235.
With a ranking of #10, Orange Coast College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. Located in Costa Mesa, California, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Orange Coast College has the honor of being ranked #27 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $6,865.
With a ranking of #11, Moorpark College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. Moorpark College is a fairly large public school 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 $48-$75k per year is $3,685.
Santa Ana College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. Located in Santa Ana, California, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Santa Ana College is ranked #39 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,735.
Cerritos College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking, coming in at #13. Cerritos College is a fairly large public school situated in Norwalk, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Cerritos College is ranked #12 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,228.
Fresno City College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Fresno, California, the school is a large public institution.
Not only is Fresno City College a great value, but it is also ranked #25 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,139.
Mt. San Antonio College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. This large public school is located in Walnut, California.
Not only is Mt. San Antonio College a great value, but it is also ranked #30 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,599.
Grossmont College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. Grossmont College is a public institution located in El Cajon, California.
Not only is Grossmont College a great value, but it is also ranked #43 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,853.
Los Medanos College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. Los Medanos is located in Pittsburg, California and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Los Medanos College is ranked #40 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $6,177.
Santa Rosa Junior College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking, coming in at #18. Santa Rosa, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Santa Rosa Junior College a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $9,782.
Foothill College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Foothill College is a fairly large public school situated in Los Altos Hills, California.
Foothill 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 $48-$75k per year is $10,777.
Sacramento City College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking, coming in at #20. Sacramento, 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, Sacramento City College is ranked #26 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,989.
MiraCosta College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. MiraCosta College is a public institution located in Oceanside, California.
MiraCosta College has the honor of being ranked #35 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,086.
Santa Monica College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Santa Monica, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
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 $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,143.
With a ranking of #23, Canada College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. Canada College is a small public school located in Redwood City, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Canada College is ranked #48 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $5,994.
College of San Mateo ranked #24 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. This medium-sized public school is located in San Mateo, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, College of San Mateo is ranked #84 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $1,834.
National University did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking, coming in at #25. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, National University is ranked #3 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,231.
View Best Value Associate Degree Schools (Income $48-$75k) Nationwide >
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.