2026 Best Value Literature Schools in California
[Literature](/majors/english-language-literature/literature/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for literature students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Literature Schools in California
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in literature, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Literature Schools
University Of California Los Angeles earned the #1 spot for value among literature schools in California. Set in the city of Los Angeles, University Of California Los Angeles is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $14,233, with out-of-state students paying around $46,121. Literature graduates carry a median of $13,093 in student loans. Literature graduates of University Of California Los Angeles earn a median of $22,704 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $13,093 median debt. University Of California Los Angeles admits about 9% of applicants.
Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
