Best Value Colleges in California
We estimate how many years the earnings premium over a typical California high school graduate would take to repay four years of net price. Across the 81 public and private nonprofit colleges that qualify, the estimate runs from 0.3 years at the fastest to 15.0 years at the slowest.
The median college needs 2.3 years to repay its net price, 0.9 years faster than the national median of 3.2 years. Public colleges (34) have a median payback of 1.4 years against 3.3 years for the 47 private nonprofit colleges, so public options tend to repay faster here.
Skyline College ranks first at 0.3 years, ahead of Stanford University (0.6 years) and California Institute of Technology (0.6 years). Payback is an estimate, not a forecast: it assumes four years of net price and the earnings of past graduates, and it says nothing about your own major or career.
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- Public and private nonprofit 4-year colleges
- Ranked by payback, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in California
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- Graduation rate of 40% or higher
- A reported payback value (schools without one are not ranked)
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; California has 81
- Data period
- Payback: years for the earnings premium over a high school graduate in the same state to repay four years of net price (shown only when the premium is at least $2,000).
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Earnings: median earnings four years after completing, measured in 2022 and 2023 for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 cohorts, in 2024 dollars.
- Graduate debt: median federal loan debt of completers, pooled 2020 and 2021 cohorts.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing the top 50 of 81 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Skyline College San Bruno, CA Public · 4-year | 0.3 years | $1,738 | $59,341 | — | 43% |
| 2 | Stanford University Stanford, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 0.6 years | $13,807 | $136,959 | $12,000 | 92% |
| 3 | California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 0.6 years | $16,075 | $152,843 | — | 94% |
| 4 | California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 4-year | 0.7 years | $3,967 | $59,756 | $13,000 | 53% |
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 4-year | 0.9 years | $13,481 | $96,018 | $13,000 | 93% |
| 6 | California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 4-year | 1.0 years | $6,555 | $63,753 | $13,750 | 70% |
| 7 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 4-year | 1.0 years | $13,760 | $89,614 | $15,000 | 67% |
| 8 | California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA Public · 4-year | 1.0 years | $4,564 | $55,441 | $14,715 | 55% |
| 9 | California State University-East Bay Hayward, CA Public · 4-year | 1.0 years | $9,320 | $72,596 | $16,544 | 47% |
| 10 | California State University-Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA Public · 4-year | 1.0 years | $5,652 | $59,109 | $16,600 | 50% |
| 11 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 4-year | 1.1 years | $12,470 | $83,130 | $15,500 | 87% |
| 12 | California State University-Stanislaus Turlock, CA Public · 4-year | 1.1 years | $6,067 | $58,952 | $13,540 | 56% |
| 13 | Cal Poly Maritime Academy Vallejo, CA Public · 4-year | 1.1 years | $20,555 | $108,757 | $24,965 | 63% |
| 14 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 4-year | 1.2 years | $12,548 | $77,677 | $14,000 | 93% |
| 15 | California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 4-year | 1.2 years | $7,021 | $59,664 | $13,872 | 57% |
| 16 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA Public · 4-year | 1.2 years | $16,665 | $90,662 | $18,500 | 86% |
| 17 | California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA Public · 4-year | 1.2 years | $7,000 | $59,992 | $14,505 | 56% |
| 18 | California State University-San Marcos San Marcos, CA Public · 4-year | 1.3 years | $10,229 | $67,891 | $17,350 | 54% |
| 19 | California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 4-year | 1.4 years | $9,338 | $64,511 | $15,000 | 56% |
| 20 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA Public · 4-year | 1.4 years | $11,531 | $71,138 | $16,000 | 68% |
| 21 | Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 1.4 years | $35,924 | $137,100 | $25,000 | 93% |
| 22 | University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA Public · 4-year | 1.5 years | $14,251 | $74,438 | $15,000 | 86% |
| 23 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 4-year | 1.6 years | $10,440 | $63,140 | $14,289 | 69% |
| 24 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA Public · 4-year | 1.6 years | $14,741 | $73,086 | $13,000 | 85% |
| 25 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Public · 4-year | 1.6 years | $12,278 | $67,804 | $15,371 | 50% |
| 26 | California State University-Dominguez Hills Carson, CA Public · 4-year | 1.6 years | $8,615 | $58,922 | $13,807 | 45% |
| 27 | Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 1.6 years | $28,849 | $110,798 | $13,500 | 93% |
| 28 | University of California-Merced Merced, CA Public · 4-year | 1.7 years | $11,983 | $65,410 | $16,144 | 69% |
| 29 | Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA Public · 4-year | 1.8 years | $12,885 | $65,997 | $16,705 | 59% |
| 30 | California State University-Channel Islands Camarillo, CA Public · 4-year | 1.8 years | $9,849 | $59,304 | $15,000 | 52% |
| 31 | University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 4-year | 1.9 years | $16,109 | $70,323 | $13,993 | 84% |
| 32 | Pomona College Claremont, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 1.9 years | $19,285 | $77,544 | $11,782 | 93% |
| 33 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 4-year | 2.0 years | $15,364 | $68,268 | $15,000 | 77% |
| 34 | University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA Public · 4-year | 2.0 years | $14,304 | $64,926 | $17,500 | 76% |
| 35 | Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.0 years | $21,413 | $79,546 | $25,949 | 53% |
| 36 | California State University-Chico Chico, CA Public · 4-year | 2.1 years | $14,480 | $65,228 | $16,552 | 63% |
| 37 | National University San Diego, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.1 years | $22,878 | $81,115 | $25,000 | 42% |
| 38 | Fresno Pacific University Fresno, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.1 years | $13,630 | $63,285 | $23,146 | 53% |
| 39 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.2 years | $32,740 | $95,739 | $18,000 | 92% |
| 40 | California State University-Monterey Bay Seaside, CA Public · 4-year | 2.2 years | $13,663 | $62,324 | $12,750 | 61% |
| 41 | University of the Pacific Stockton, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.3 years | $25,447 | $81,820 | $19,500 | 68% |
| 42 | University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 4-year | 2.4 years | $17,890 | $67,085 | $16,666 | 75% |
| 43 | Concordia University-Irvine Irvine, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.4 years | $28,115 | $83,064 | $24,247 | 60% |
| 44 | Dominican University of California San Rafael, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.4 years | $35,333 | $95,437 | $27,000 | 77% |
| 45 | University of San Diego San Diego, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.5 years | $30,365 | $85,309 | $22,940 | 83% |
| 46 | Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.5 years | $22,212 | $71,925 | $23,219 | 63% |
| 47 | Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.8 years | $50,062 | $108,517 | $19,162 | 88% |
| 48 | Vanguard University of Southern California Costa Mesa, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.9 years | $21,241 | $65,874 | $22,000 | 56% |
| 49 | Menlo College Atherton, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.9 years | $31,100 | $79,903 | $21,750 | 52% |
| 50 | University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.0 years | $41,431 | $91,483 | $23,000 | 71% |
How to compare these colleges
Treat the payback column as a way to compare schools, not as a promise about your own future. It uses the average net price, so your own cost may be higher or lower, and it uses median earnings of former students, which depend heavily on major. Check earnings for your intended program on each college profile, and favor schools where the graduation rate is high.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for California
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Cheap colleges in California for out-of-state students
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Community colleges in California
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Highest graduate earnings in California
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Most affordable private colleges in California
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Same list in nearby states
Best value colleges in Oregon
15 schools
Best value colleges in New York
97 schools
Best value colleges in Pennsylvania
80 schools
All 232 colleges in California See the national version of this ranking