2026 Best Value Value Schools in California
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the value degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Value Schools
San Francisco State University earned the #1 spot for value among value schools in California. San Francisco State University is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco. Students from in state pay about $7,846 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $20,446. Typical student debt for value graduates is $17,875. Soon after graduation, value degree recipients from San Francisco State University generally make around $31,001. That is a strong return on a $17,875 median debt. The acceptance rate is 96%.
Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 1 school 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.
[Value](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/ethnic-studies/comparative-group-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
