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2023 Best Value Colleges for Computer Software & Applications in California (With Aid)

5 Ranked Colleges
1,379 Degrees Awarded
$22,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Computer Software Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Computer Software Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Computer Software & Applications is the 84th most popular major in the country with 14,336 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, computer software and applications graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,619 and had an average of $33,819 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,379 computer software and applications graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,701 and $38,720 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Computer Software Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in computer software and applications. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great computer software and applications programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the computer software and applications program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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The computer software school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Computer Software Schools in California For Those Getting Aid”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Computer Software Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Computer Software Schools in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Computer Software & Applications in California (With Aid)

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Software Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 70 ’s computer software degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Computer Software & Applications Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,209 for California Computer Software students with aid per year to attend UC Irvine.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Computer Software & Applications at University of California - Irvine

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Computer Software Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 ’s computer software degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Computer Software & Applications Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $17,930 for California Computer Software students with aid per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Computer Software & Applications Report

3
Laurus College crest
Laurus College
San Luis Obispo, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Laurus College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Software Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Laurus College is a private for-profit institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Laurus College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Computer Software & Applications Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Laurus College is $11,683 for california computer software students with aid.

Full Laurus College Computer Software & Applications Report

4
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Academy of Art University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Computer Software Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 426 ’s computer software degrees in 2020-2021.

Academy of Art University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Computer Software & Applications Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Academy of Art University is $36,143 for California Computer Software students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Software & Applications at Academy of Art University

5
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Computer Software Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 119 ’s computer software degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california computer software students with aid list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Computer Software & Applications Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,569 for California Computer Software students with aid per year to attend University of Southern California.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Computer Software & Applications at USC

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References

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