Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Legal Assistant/Paralegal in California (With Aid)

9 Ranked Colleges
615 Degrees Awarded
$12,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Getting Aid” 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.

This year’s “Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the legal assistant/paralegal program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

The paralegal school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid”.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid.

#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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, American River College landed the #1 spot on the list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s paralegal degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.

American River also took the #2 spot in our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $4,816 for california associate degree paralegal students with aid per year to attend American River College.

Read more about Legal Assistant/Paralegal at American River

#2

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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Coastline Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Coastline Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Fountain Valley, California. It awarded 24 associates’s paralegal degrees in 2019-2020.

Coastline Community College also made our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Coastline Community College is $7,389 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students with aid.

Read more about Legal Assistant/Paralegal at Coastline Community College

#3

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 #3 for the Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Norwalk, California, this large public school awarded 16 degrees to qualified associates’s paralegal students in 2019-2020.

Cerritos College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cerritos College is $4,022 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students with aid.

Read full report on Legal Assistant/Paralegal at Cerritos College

#4

West Los Angeles College

Culver City, California
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, West Los Angeles College landed the #4 spot on the list. West Los Angeles College is a fairly large school located in Culver City, California that handed out 12 associates’s paralegal degrees in 2019-2020.

West LA College also took 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 $7,084 for california associate degree paralegal students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full West LA 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 Getting Aid. Sacramento, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associates’s paralegal degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MTI College, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $18,131 for california associate degree paralegal students with aid per year to attend MTI College.

Read full report on Legal Assistant/Paralegal at MTI College

#6

National University

La Jolla, California
#6 in overall quality

National University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 2 associates’s paralegal degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at National University, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 National University Legal Assistant/Paralegal Report

#7

South Coast College

Orange, California
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, South Coast College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Orange, California, and it awarded 10 associates’s paralegal degrees in 2019-2020.

South Coast College also took the #7 spot in our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for South Coast College is $22,048 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Full South Coast College Legal Assistant/Paralegal Report

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid list. Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield is a small private for-profit school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 8 associates’s paralegal degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california associate degree paralegal students with aid list, Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,877 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students with aid per year to attend Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield Legal Assistant/Paralegal Report

#9

Fremont College

Cerritos, California
#8 in overall quality

Fremont College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Paralegal Schools for an Associate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Fremont College is a private for-profit institution located in Cerritos, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Fremont College also made our “Best Legal Assistant/Paralegal Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $22,551 for California Associate Degree Paralegal students with aid per year to attend Fremont College.

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

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Paralegal / Legal Studies Schools

Find Schools Near You