2026 Best Value Community Health and Preventive Medicine Schools in California

[Community Health and Preventive Medicine](/majors/health-care-professions/public-health/community-health-and-preventive-medicine/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 22 schools to find the best return on investment for community health and preventive medicine students.
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2026 Best Value Community Health and Preventive Medicine Schools in California
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the community health and preventive medicine degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Community Health and Preventive Medicine Schools
Leading the list is City College Of San Francisco, our #1 best value for community health and preventive medicine in California. City College Of San Francisco is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco. In-state tuition and fees average $1,696, while out-of-state students pay about $14,656. Typical student debt for community health and preventive medicine graduates is $10,332. Soon after graduation, community health and preventive medicine degree recipients from City College Of San Francisco generally make around $100,031. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Foothill College earned it the #2 place for community health and preventive medicine. Set in the suburb of Los Altos Hills, Foothill College is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $1,565, while out-of-state students pay about $12,590. Students borrow a median of $11,595 to complete the community health and preventive medicine program here. Community Health And Preventive Medicine graduates of Foothill College earn a median of $94,152 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of California San Diego earned it the #3 place for community health and preventive medicine. Located in the city of La Jolla, University Of California San Diego is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $15,788 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $47,676. Students borrow a median of $15,280 to complete the community health and preventive medicine program here. Early-career community health and preventive medicine graduates make about $39,144. That is a strong return on a $15,280 median debt. Roughly 27% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in community health and preventive medicine will find it at Stanford University, which ranked #4. Stanford University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $65,910. Typical student debt for community health and preventive medicine graduates is $10,492. Early-career community health and preventive medicine graduates make about $100,827. That is a strong return on a $10,492 median debt. Stanford University admits about 4% of applicants.
Cabrillo College came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best value community health and preventive medicine schools. Set in the suburb of Aptos, Cabrillo College is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $1,270 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $9,862. Typical student debt for community health and preventive medicine graduates is $10,425. Early-career community health and preventive medicine graduates make about $47,750. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
University Of California Los Angeles landed the #6 spot for community health and preventive medicine value this year. University Of California Los Angeles is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles. In-state tuition and fees average $14,233, while out-of-state students pay about $46,121. Students borrow a median of $16,097 to complete the community health and preventive medicine program here. Soon after graduation, community health and preventive medicine degree recipients from University Of California Los Angeles generally make around $95,337. That is a strong return on a $16,097 median debt. The acceptance rate is 9%.
National University ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best value community health and preventive medicine schools. Located in the city of San Diego, National University is a very large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $13,284 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for community health and preventive medicine graduates is $37,469. Soon after graduation, community health and preventive medicine degree recipients from National University generally make around $55,458. Set against $37,469 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
More Community Health and Preventive Medicine Rankings
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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 · 22 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.