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. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California ranking is part of that endeavor. This list is proof that you shouldn't avoid normally high-priced schools, since the actual price may be very affordable if you qualify for financial aid.
In This Year's Value Report:
After analyzing 147 schools in California, we came up with our list of those that offered the best value programs. Our ranking methodology focuses on different objective factors to make this determination of the best value schools. 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 Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $75-$110k a year. The net price is the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that that the student receives. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a good 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.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
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:
Stanford University tops this year’s ranking as the best value (income $75-$110k) school in California for overall quality. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Stanford, California.
Stanford University has the honor of being ranked #1 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $9,562.
Out of the 147 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Golden West College landed the #2 spot on the list. Golden West College is located in Huntington Beach, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Golden West College a great value, but it is also ranked #27 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $7,532.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Los Angeles, California, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - Los Angeles is ranked #6 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $16,341.
Out of the 147 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Pomona College landed the #4 spot on the list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Claremont, California.
Not only is Pomona College a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,676.
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California list means Fresno Pacific University is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Fresno, California, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Fresno Pacific University is ranked #62 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,391.
With a ranking of #6, California Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California list. Located in Pasadena, California, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
California Institute of Technology has the honor of being ranked #5 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $18,206.
Southwestern College landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California ranking. SWC Chula Vista is a public institution 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. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,013.
With a ranking of #8, Foothill College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) 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 #19 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $11,541.
San Diego State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California list. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California.
Not only is San Diego State University a great value, but it is also ranked #21 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $11,030.
Saddleback College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California list. Saddleback College is a fairly large public school situated in Mission Viejo, California.
Not only is Saddleback College a great value, but it is also ranked #42 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,222.
California State University - Fullerton came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California ranking. Located in Fullerton, California, the school is a large public institution.
California State University - Fullerton has the honor of being ranked #48 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,445.
College of the Canyons did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California ranking, coming in at #12. College of the Canyons is located in Santa Clarita, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is College of the Canyons a great value, but it is also ranked #88 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,913.
Moreno Valley College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California list. 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 $75-$110k per year is $6,919.
With a ranking of #14, Pasadena City College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California list. 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. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,241.
Ventura College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California ranking. 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 $75-$110k per year is $5,757.
University of California - Berkeley landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California ranking. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
University of California - Berkeley has the honor of being ranked #2 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $21,217.
Learn More About Value at University of California - Berkeley
Santa Rosa Junior College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Santa Rosa, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Santa Rosa Junior College is ranked #49 for quality in the state of California. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $10,173.
With a ranking of #18, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is California State University - Los Angeles a great value, but it is also ranked #76 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,609.
Yuba College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Marysville, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Yuba College is ranked #124 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,849.
University of California - Davis came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California ranking. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California.
Not only is University of California - Davis 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 $75-$110k per year is $17,020.
California State University - San Bernardino ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California list. Located in San Bernardino, California, the school is a fairly large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - San Bernardino is ranked #97 for quality in the state of California. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,098.
Learn More About Value at California State University - San Bernardino
With a ranking of #22, Riverside City College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California list. This fairly large public school is located in Riverside, California.
Riverside City College has the honor of being ranked #80 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,280.
With a ranking of #23, Mt. San Antonio College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California list. Located in Walnut, California, the school is a large public institution.
Not only is Mt. San Antonio College a great value, but it is also ranked #93 in California for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $8,349.
With a ranking of #24, Grossmont College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California list. Located in El Cajon, California, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Not only is Grossmont College a great value, but it is also ranked #113 in California for overall quality. Students from families who make $75-$110k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,371.
With a ranking of #25, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) 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. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $75-$110k per year is $16,780.
View Best Value Schools (Income $75-$110k) Nationwide >
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These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $75-$110k) in California ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Cerritos College | Norwalk, CA | Value Report |
| 27 | Santa Monica College | Santa Monica, CA | Value Report |
| 28 | Santa Ana College | Santa Ana, CA | Value Report |
| 29 | Fresno City College | Fresno, CA | Value Report |
| 30 | Orange Coast College | Costa Mesa, CA | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.