2026 Best Value English Associate’s Degree Schools
[English](/majors/english-language-literature/general-english-language-literature/english/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 1514 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for english students.
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2026 Best Value English Schools in the United States
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in english, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value English Schools
Leading the list is San Diego Mesa College, our #1 best value for english in the United States. Set in the city of San Diego, San Diego Mesa College is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $1,146, compared with $10,002 for out-of-state students. English graduates carry a median of $6,999 in student loans. English graduates of San Diego Mesa College earn a median of $29,852 early in their careers. Set against $6,999 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Cuny Laguardia Community College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in english, landing the #2 spot this year. Cuny Laguardia Community College is a large public school located in the city of Long Island City. In-state tuition and fees average $5,218, with out-of-state students paying around $8,098. English graduates carry a median of $8,858 in student loans. English graduates of Cuny Laguardia Community College earn a median of $31,437 early in their careers. Set against $8,858 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at College Of San Mateo earned it the #3 place for english. Located in the city of San Mateo, College Of San Mateo is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $1,332, with out-of-state students paying around $11,428. Students borrow a median of $12,831 to complete the english program here. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $54,172. Set against $12,831 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
A rank of #4 makes Moorpark College one of the best values for english. Located in the suburb of Moorpark, Moorpark College is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $1,426 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $9,615. Typical student debt for english graduates is $17,075. Early-career english graduates make about $105,599. That is a strong return on a $17,075 median debt.
Golden West College came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best value english schools. Located in the suburb of Huntington Beach, Golden West College is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $1,380 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $11,628. English graduates carry a median of $21,500 in student loans. Early-career english graduates make about $82,984. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Pasadena City College ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best value english schools. Located in the city of Pasadena, Pasadena City College is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $1,180, with out-of-state students paying around $10,924. English graduates carry a median of $9,191 in student loans. Early-career english graduates make about $38,841. That is a strong return on a $9,191 median debt.
De Anza College ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best value english schools. Set in the city of Cupertino, De Anza College is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $1,571, with out-of-state students paying around $12,596. Students borrow a median of $7,271 to complete the english program here. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $56,596. That is a strong return on a $7,271 median debt.
San Diego Miramar College earned the #8 position for value in english this year. San Diego Miramar College is a very large public school located in the city of San Diego. In-state tuition and fees average $1,146, with out-of-state students paying around $10,002. Typical student debt for english graduates is $8,098. Early-career english graduates make about $41,038. That is a strong return on a $8,098 median debt.
Santa Rosa Junior College placed #9 among the best values for english. Set in the city of Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa Junior College is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $1,318, with out-of-state students paying around $11,308. Typical student debt for english graduates is $14,692. English graduates of Santa Rosa Junior College earn a median of $80,047 early in their careers. Set against $14,692 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Skyline College landed the #10 spot for english value this year. Skyline College is a large public school located in the suburb of San Bruno. Students from in state pay about $1,332 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $9,956. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $55,702.
Mt San Antonio College came in at #11 for value in english this year. Located in the suburb of Walnut, Mt San Antonio College is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $1,364, compared with $10,464 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $9,384 to complete the english program here. Soon after graduation, english degree recipients from Mt San Antonio College generally make around $44,391. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Saddleback College came in at #12 for value in english this year. Set in the suburb of Mission Viejo, Saddleback College is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $1,432, while out-of-state students pay about $14,812. Students borrow a median of $5,707 to complete the english program here. English graduates of Saddleback College earn a median of $15,890 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $5,707 median debt.
Grossmont College came in at #13 for value in english this year. Set in the suburb of El Cajon, Grossmont College is a large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $1,332, with out-of-state students paying around $10,628. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $40,309.
Fresno City College earned the #14 position for value in english this year. Fresno City College is a very large public school located in the city of Fresno. In-state tuition and fees average $1,378, compared with $8,638 for out-of-state students. English graduates carry a median of $7,234 in student loans. English graduates of Fresno City College earn a median of $37,470 early in their careers. Set against $7,234 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Diablo Valley College came in at #15 for value in english this year. Located in the suburb of Pleasant Hill, Diablo Valley College is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $1,312, while out-of-state students pay about $10,320. Typical student debt for english graduates is $9,205. English graduates of Diablo Valley College earn a median of $27,813 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $9,205 median debt.
Santiago Canyon College landed the #16 spot for english value this year. Located in the city of Orange, Santiago Canyon College is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $1,164, while out-of-state students pay about $9,612. Students borrow a median of $5,500 to complete the english program here. Early-career english graduates make about $34,100. Set against $5,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
El Camino Community College District placed #17 among the best values for english. Located in the suburb of Torrance, El Camino Community College District is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $1,144, with out-of-state students paying around $7,630. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $41,589.
Austin Community College District landed the #18 spot for english value this year. Located in the city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $2,550, compared with $10,590 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for english graduates is $9,596. English graduates of Austin Community College District earn a median of $44,895 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Cerritos College ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best value english schools. Cerritos College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Norwalk. In-state tuition and fees average $1,364, compared with $12,004 for out-of-state students. English graduates carry a median of $11,306 in student loans. Early-career english graduates make about $29,495. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
West Valley College placed #20 among the best values for english. West Valley College is a large public school located in the suburb of Saratoga. In-state tuition and fees average $0, while out-of-state students pay about $9,320. Students borrow a median of $14,308 to complete the english program here. Early-career english graduates make about $25,378. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Orange Coast College came in at #21 for value in english this year. Orange Coast College is a very large public school located in the city of Costa Mesa. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $1,392, with out-of-state students paying around $11,640. Typical student debt for english graduates is $8,978. English graduates of Orange Coast College earn a median of $46,306 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $8,978 median debt.
Irvine Valley College placed #22 among the best values for english. Irvine Valley College is a large public school located in the city of Irvine. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $1,156, with out-of-state students paying around $11,860. Typical student debt for english graduates is $6,672. Graduates go on to earn a median of $49,156 ten years after entry. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Shasta College ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best value english schools. Shasta College is a large public school located in the suburb of Redding. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $1,197, while out-of-state students pay about $8,853. Students borrow a median of $12,275 to complete the english program here. English graduates of Shasta College earn a median of $50,330 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $12,275 median debt.
Moreno Valley College came in at #24 for value in english this year. Set in the suburb of Moreno Valley, Moreno Valley College is a large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $1,428, while out-of-state students pay about $12,498. Typical student debt for english graduates is $12,643. Early-career english graduates make about $45,515. That is a strong return on a $12,643 median debt.
Cypress College ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the best value english schools. Located in the city of Cypress, Cypress College is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $1,150, while out-of-state students pay about $12,379. Median earnings reach $43,533 ten years out.
Rest of the Top 50 Best Value English Schools
These schools rounded out the top of this year’s english value ranking:
Other English Degree Levels
Explore the best-value english schools at other degree levels:
View All English Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 1514 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 ranked schools only.
- 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.
