by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a degree. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. You may be surprised that some normally high-priced schools offer very generous financial aid packages to those who qualify.
In This Year's Value Report:
Our analysis looked at 152 schools in California to determine which ones have the best value programs. Our ranking methodology focuses on different objective factors to make this determination of the best value schools. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
When determining the value of a school in our Best 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. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
We go into more detail on these factors on our best value ranking methodology page.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Stanford University the best value (income $48-$75k) school in California. Located in Stanford, California, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is Stanford University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in California for overall quality.
Out of the 152 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Pasadena, California, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is California Institute of Technology a great value, but it is also ranked #5 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,404.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pomona College. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Pomona College is ranked #13 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $5,830.
The quality degree programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school located in Los Angeles, California.
Not only is University of California - Los Angeles a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $10,217.
Read full value report on University of California - Los Angeles
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list means Claremont McKenna College is a great place for students working on their degree. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Claremont, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Claremont McKenna College is ranked #4 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,545.
University of California - Berkeley landed the #6 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Berkeley, 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, University of California - Berkeley 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 $14,407.
Golden West College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Golden West College is a fairly large public school located in Huntington Beach, California.
Golden West 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 $6,429.
San Diego State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. Located in San Diego, California, the school is a large public institution.
San Diego State University has the honor of being ranked #21 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 $6,993.
With a ranking of #9, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California 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. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $10,078.
California State University - Fullerton landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. 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 #48 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,767.
Read full value report on California State University - Fullerton
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
California State University - Los Angeles has the honor of being ranked #76 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 $4,258.
Southwestern College landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Southwestern College is a fairly large public school located in Chula Vista, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Southwestern College is ranked #36 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $7,131.
California State University - San Bernardino came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. This fairly large public school is located in San Bernardino, California.
California State University - San Bernardino has the honor of being ranked #97 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 $3,851.
Learn More About Value at California State University - San Bernardino
University of California - San Diego came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, the school is a large public institution.
Not only is University of California - San Diego a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $13,744.
Read full value report on University of California - San Diego
Pasadena City College landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Pasadena City College is located in Pasadena, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Pasadena City College has the honor of being ranked #59 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 $6,469.
West Valley College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. Saratoga, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, West Valley College is ranked #77 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.
With a ranking of #17, Ventura College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. 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 #117 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $3,433.
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking, coming in at #18. This large public school is located in Santa Barbara, California.
Not only is University of California - Santa Barbara 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 $48-$75k per year is $14,720.
Learn More About Value at University of California - Santa Barbara
Moreno Valley College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Moreno Valley, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Moreno Valley College a great value, but it is also ranked #95 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $4,744.
Foothill College landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Foothill College is a public institution located in Los Altos Hills, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Foothill College is ranked #19 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $10,777.
University of California - Davis landed the #21 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Located in Davis, California, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - Davis is ranked #11 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $14,150.
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking, coming in at #21. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California.
University of Southern California has the honor of being ranked #3 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 $18,626.
Saddleback College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Mission Viejo, California, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Not only is Saddleback College a great value, but it is also ranked #42 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,351.
With a ranking of #24, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Long Beach is ranked #33 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,317.
California State University - Sacramento came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is California State University - Sacramento a great value, but it is also ranked #54 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $8,026.
Read full value report on California State University - Sacramento
View Best Value Schools (Income $48-$75k) Nationwide >
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These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in California ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita, CA | Value Report |
| 27 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA | Value Report |
| 28 | Riverside City College | Riverside, CA | Value Report |
| 29 | Orange Coast College | Costa Mesa, CA | Value Report |
| 30 | Moorpark College | Moorpark, CA | Value Report |
| 31 | Santa Ana College | Santa Ana, CA | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.