2026 Best Value Value Schools in California
[Value](/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/geography-and-environmental-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong value education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 2 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for value students.
What’s on this page:
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
Leading the list is University Of California Los Angeles, our #1 best value for value in California. University Of California Los Angeles is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $14,233, while out-of-state students pay about $46,121. Students borrow a median of $16,097 to complete the value program here. Value graduates of University Of California Los Angeles earn a median of $63,833 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $16,097 median debt. The acceptance rate is 9%.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 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.
