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California ranking · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Best Colleges in California

Using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data retrieved March-July 2026, these operating California colleges (undergraduate enrollment 1,000+) rank highest on value: median earnings ten years after enrollment minus average net price. That single gap is the sort key - not prestige, selectivity, or a composite score.

$110,273
Top earnings-price gap
100
California colleges ranked
$13,807
#1 avg net price

The list in one line

Among California colleges with enrollment of 1,000+, every school on this list clears a $36,593 earnings-minus-net-price gap. Stanford University leads at $110,273.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$110,273
#1 - Stanford University
$124,080
#1 ten-year median earnings
$36,593
#100 cutoff gap
1,000+
undergraduate enrollment floor

Value = 10-year median earnings - average net price for federal-aid students. See methodology for cohort and lag details.

Top 15 California colleges by earnings-price gap

Higher gap = more earnings relative to average net price

earnings - net price

What this shows Specialized health and career schools can rank highly when program mix lifts earnings; compare completion rates and debt on each school profile before reading value as overall quality.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

The full California list

# School Name Median Earnings (10yr)Avg Net PriceEarnings - PriceEnrollment
1 Stanford University $124,080 $13,807 $110,273 7,554
2 University of California-Berkeley $92,446 $13,481 $78,965 33,068
3 Claremont McKenna College $104,736 $28,849 $75,887 1,388
4 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo $90,768 $16,665 $74,103 21,996
5 University of California-San Diego $84,943 $12,470 $72,473 34,948
6 University of California-Los Angeles $82,511 $12,548 $69,963 33,475
7 West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County $102,672 $32,879 $69,793 3,192
8 University of California-Irvine $80,735 $14,251 $66,484 30,197
9 University of California-Davis $80,838 $14,741 $66,097 32,253
10 San Jose State University $78,988 $13,760 $65,228 27,601
11 California State University-East Bay $71,401 $9,320 $62,081 9,809
12 California State Polytechnic University-Pomona $71,902 $11,531 $60,371 25,042
13 University of Southern California $92,498 $32,740 $59,758 20,443
14 Santa Clara University $109,183 $50,062 $59,121 6,552
15 University of California-Santa Barbara $74,915 $16,109 $58,806 23,113
16 Pomona College $77,779 $19,285 $58,494 1,666
17 California State University-Stanislaus $63,188 $6,067 $57,121 8,385
18 California State University-Fullerton $62,951 $6,555 $56,396 38,546
19 University of San Diego $86,522 $30,365 $56,157 5,671
20 San Francisco State University $68,077 $12,278 $55,799 18,639
21 California State University-Sacramento $64,876 $9,338 $55,538 28,350
22 California State University-San Bernardino $59,977 $4,564 $55,413 15,023
23 California State University-Los Angeles $59,211 $3,967 $55,244 19,562
24 Unitek College $79,550 $25,179 $54,371 4,972
25 California State University-Fresno $61,244 $7,000 $54,244 21,605
26 Skyline College $55,702 $1,738 $53,964 7,620
27 California State University-Long Beach $64,403 $10,440 $53,963 35,924
28 College of San Mateo $54,172 $536 $53,636 7,977
29 University of California-Riverside $67,699 $14,304 $53,395 22,593
30 California State University-Bakersfield $59,009 $5,652 $53,357 8,577
31 Sonoma State University $65,986 $12,885 $53,101 5,166
32 West Coast University-Ontario $102,672 $49,590 $53,082 2,671
33 University of the Pacific $78,445 $25,447 $52,998 3,204
34 California State University-San Marcos $62,908 $10,229 $52,679 14,877
35 University of California-Merced $64,368 $11,983 $52,385 8,372
36 California State University-Channel Islands $62,152 $9,849 $52,303 5,013
37 California State University-Northridge $59,115 $7,021 $52,094 32,691
38 Moorpark College $49,044 $-2,296 $51,340 12,082
39 Mount Saint Mary's University $72,379 $21,413 $50,966 1,719
40 University of California-Santa Cruz $68,396 $17,890 $50,506 17,940
41 Canada College $50,087 $32 $50,055 5,175
42 De Anza College $56,596 $6,642 $49,954 15,264
43 California State University-Chico $64,172 $14,480 $49,692 13,631
44 San Diego State University $64,909 $15,364 $49,545 35,377
45 Foothill College $57,072 $7,653 $49,419 11,137
46 Dominican University of California $84,713 $35,333 $49,380 1,114
47 California State University-Dominguez Hills $57,162 $8,615 $48,547 12,538
48 Saint Mary's College of California $78,812 $30,378 $48,434 1,947
49 University of San Francisco $89,812 $41,431 $48,381 5,287
50 West Valley College $51,688 $3,423 $48,265 6,416
51 Irvine Valley College $49,156 $2,090 $47,066 10,286
52 Saddleback College $50,874 $4,152 $46,722 17,684
53 Norco College $51,206 $5,169 $46,037 8,779
54 Mission College $50,936 $5,080 $45,856 5,784
55 Las Positas College $51,088 $5,377 $45,711 7,299
56 Moreno Valley College $52,133 $6,483 $45,650 9,346
57 California State University-Monterey Bay $59,247 $13,663 $45,584 6,819
58 College of the Canyons $49,022 $3,702 $45,320 15,832
59 University of La Verne $65,464 $20,161 $45,303 3,050
60 Fresno Pacific University $58,896 $13,630 $45,266 1,544
61 San Diego Miramar College $48,224 $3,337 $44,887 11,271
62 National University $67,548 $22,878 $44,670 10,794
63 Azusa Pacific University $66,677 $22,212 $44,465 2,759
64 Ventura College $43,430 $-982 $44,412 10,150
65 Ohlone College $54,278 $11,130 $43,148 7,099
66 Diablo Valley College $51,378 $8,312 $43,066 15,358
67 Santiago Canyon College $44,956 $2,129 $42,827 10,579
68 University of Redlands $72,690 $30,031 $42,659 2,049
69 Oxnard College $41,393 $-1,128 $42,521 6,240
70 Hartnell College $44,316 $2,039 $42,277 9,453
71 Scripps College $77,539 $36,294 $41,245 1,113
72 Santa Rosa Junior College $47,224 $6,331 $40,893 15,080
73 San Joaquin Delta College $43,212 $2,407 $40,805 15,781
74 Evergreen Valley College $53,077 $12,414 $40,663 7,688
75 Gavilan College $47,169 $6,542 $40,627 4,786
76 Santa Ana College $43,552 $3,133 $40,419 22,485
77 Orange Coast College $47,348 $7,203 $40,145 16,091
78 Pasadena City College $43,937 $3,864 $40,073 21,466
79 Mt San Antonio College $46,283 $6,490 $39,793 26,140
80 Modesto Junior College $42,368 $2,818 $39,550 15,109
81 Solano Community College $44,170 $4,669 $39,501 8,061
82 Santa Monica College $42,193 $2,779 $39,414 21,440
83 San Diego Mesa College $45,120 $5,814 $39,306 16,098
84 Chabot College $48,143 $9,053 $39,090 11,392
85 Cypress College $43,533 $4,606 $38,927 13,354
86 City College of San Francisco $45,805 $6,906 $38,899 17,348
87 Cerritos College $41,156 $2,424 $38,732 18,870
88 College of the Sequoias $39,092 $480 $38,612 11,562
89 California Lutheran University $68,712 $30,109 $38,603 2,296
90 Golden West College $43,145 $4,824 $38,321 9,034
91 Vanguard University of Southern California $59,541 $21,241 $38,300 1,933
92 Sierra College $45,294 $7,245 $38,049 14,122
93 Citrus College $42,065 $4,135 $37,930 8,286
94 Occidental College $75,951 $38,263 $37,688 1,877
95 Allan Hancock College $42,786 $5,383 $37,403 8,052
96 Chaffey College $42,975 $5,672 $37,303 18,132
97 Fullerton College $43,366 $6,134 $37,232 17,121
98 Yuba College $39,552 $2,576 $36,976 4,779
99 Concordia University-Irvine $65,083 $28,115 $36,968 1,536
100 Folsom Lake College $42,568 $5,975 $36,593 9,414

About This Ranking

Schools in California are ranked by the same value metric as the national best-value list: 10-year median earnings minus average net price. Only operating schools with at least 1,000 undergraduates and both figures published are included. Ties break toward larger enrollment. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. See methodology.

Caveats and limitations

"Best" here means the largest earnings-minus-price gap among eligible California schools - not teaching quality, campus life, or the right fit for any applicant. Program mix (for example nursing or engineering) can lift institution-level earnings without proving a stronger undergraduate experience.

Earnings cover federally aided students only and describe a lagged cohort. Net price averages aided students and will not match every family's bill. Always open the school profile for completion, debt, and program detail.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard and IPEDS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.