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2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Legal Assistant/Paralegal (Income $0-$30k) in California

9 Ranked Colleges
615 Degrees Awarded
$11,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 9,938 people earned their degree in legal assistant/paralegal, making the major the 123rd most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 1,330 legal assistant/paralegal graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 615 legal assistant/paralegal graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,451 and $19,634 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree in legal assistant/paralegal. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great legal assistant/paralegal programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the legal assistant/paralegal program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

#1

American River College

Sacramento, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, American River College landed the #1 spot on the list. American River is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 36 associates’s paralegal degrees in 2019-2020.

American River not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $4,334 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend American River College.

Read full report on Legal Assistant/Paralegal at American River College

#2

Cerritos College

Norwalk, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cerritos College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Cerritos College is a large public school situated in Norwalk, California. It awarded 16 associates’s paralegal degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cerritos College, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cerritos College is $3,407 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Cerritos College Legal Assistant/Paralegal Report

#3

Coastline Community College

Fountain Valley, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Coastline Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Fountain Valley, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 24 diplomas to qualified associates’s paralegal students in 2019-2020.

Coastline Community College also took the #3 spot in our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,776 for california associate degree paralegal students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Coastline Community College.

Read more about Legal Assistant/Paralegal at Coastline Community College

#4

West Los Angeles College

Culver City, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend West Los Angeles College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. West LA College is a fairly large school located in Culver City, California that handed out 12 associates’s paralegal degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at West LA College, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend West Los Angeles College is $6,641 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 West Los Angeles College Legal Assistant/Paralegal Report

#5

MTI College

Sacramento, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend MTI College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. MTI College is a private for-profit institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

MTI College also took the #1 spot in our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend MTI College is $17,805 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Legal Assistant/Paralegal at MTI College

#6

National University

La Jolla, California
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, National University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associates’s paralegal degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california associate degree paralegal students whose families make $0-$30k list, National University has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Assistant/Paralegal at National University

#7

South Coast College

Orange, California
#7 in overall quality

South Coast College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Orange, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified associates’s paralegal students in 2019-2020.

South Coast College also made our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $19,044 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend South Coast College.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Legal Assistant/Paralegal at South Coast College

#9 in overall quality

Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associates’s paralegal degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield is $14,774 for california associate degree paralegal students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Legal Assistant/Paralegal at Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield

#9

Fremont College

Cerritos, California
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Fremont College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Cerritos, California, and it awarded 20 associates’s paralegal degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fremont College, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Fremont College is $22,151 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Legal Assistant/Paralegal at Fremont College

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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