California Academic Quality per Dollar Ranking

The Best Value Colleges in California by Academic Quality per Dollar for 2023

Best Value Colleges in California by Academic Quality per Dollar

These are the California schools which appear on CollegeCalc's Best Value Colleges in America ranking and represent the colleges providing the finest education balanced against an affordable average net price. The best value in California ranking goes to Stanford University with a 99th percentile national academic rank for a comparatively affordable $20,023 average net price.

Academic Rating is a CollegeCalc rating of a college's overall academics and effectiveness. The score ranges from zero to one hundred, with fifty being the median for all eligible colleges. Dollar value is a measure of a school's academic rating compared with the average price paid by students. Colleges which are ranked "n/a" didn't report sufficient data to formulate a score. Learn more about our rating methodology.

All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's 2021/2022 IPEDS Survey and reflect reported costs for the 2021/2022 academic year.

California's Best Value Colleges by Academic Quality per Dollar
College Net Price Rating Value
#1 Stanford University

Stanford, Private Not For Profit

$20,023 99 99
#2 Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, Private Not For Profit

$22,004 96 99
#3 California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, Private Not For Profit

$26,591 98 97
#4 Pomona College

Claremont, Private Not For Profit

$30,392 96 96
#5 University of California Irvine

Irvine, Public Not For Profit

$13,106 81 95
#6 University of California San Diego

La Jolla, Public Not For Profit

$15,222 82 94
#7 University of California Davis

Davis, Public Not For Profit

$17,026 80 94
#8 University of California Berkeley

Berkeley, Public Not For Profit

$19,329 85 94
#9 University of California Los Angeles

Los Angeles, Public Not For Profit

$16,474 86 94
#10 University of California Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, Public Not For Profit

$17,223 79 94
#11 University of California Riverside

Riverside, Public Not For Profit

$11,948 66 89
#12 University of Southern California

Los Angeles, Private Not For Profit

$39,759 92 90
#13 Scripps College

Claremont, Private Not For Profit

$40,259 89 84
#14 University of California Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, Public Not For Profit

$17,842 68 81
#15 University of the Pacific

Stockton, Private Not For Profit

$32,780 76 82
#16 Westmont College

Santa Barbara, Private Not For Profit

$32,418 74 82
#17 Occidental College

Los Angeles, Private Not For Profit

$41,102 84 77
#18 University of Redlands

Redlands, Private Not For Profit

$30,240 66 77
#19 Chapman University

Orange, Private Not For Profit

$44,327 80 57
#20 Biola University

La Mirada, Private Not For Profit

$34,713 66 50