2026 Best Financial Planning & Services Schools in California
Financial Planning & Services degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
College Factual analyzed 4 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best financial planning & services schools.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Financial Planning & Services in California
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the financial planning & services degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Financial Planning & Services
California Lutheran University tops our 2026 ranking of the best financial planning & services schools. This mid-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Thousand Oaks. The six-year graduation rate is 70%. There were roughly 15 financial planning & services students who graduated with this degree at California Lutheran University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their financial planning & services degree from California Lutheran University earn around $80,356 in the first couple years of their career. California Lutheran University graduates carry a median of $22,727 in student loans.
More information about a degree in financial planning & services from California Lutheran University
Golden Gate University San Francisco came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best financial planning & services schools. Set in the city of San Francisco, Golden Gate University San Francisco is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. About 10 financial planning & services degrees were awarded at Golden Gate University San Francisco in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, financial planning & services degree recipients from Golden Gate University San Francisco generally make around $80,748. Students borrow a median of $33,968 to complete this degree.
Read more about the financial planning & services program at Golden Gate University San Francisco
More Financial Planning & Services Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 4 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
