Best ROI Colleges in California
These are the best-value colleges in California, ranked by our data-driven ROI score. The score weights earnings premium (30%), payback period (25%), debt-to-earnings (20%), completion rate (15%), and loan repayment (10%). Every number comes from Department of Education data.
10 schools ranked
| # | School | ROI |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford University Stanford, CA | 99 |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | 97 |
| 3 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | 96 |
| 4 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | 96 |
| 5 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA | 96 |
| 6 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA | 95 |
| 7 | California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA | 94 |
| 8 | University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA | 94 |
| 9 | Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA | 92 |
| 10 | Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA | 92 |
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How We Rank
Rankings are based on our ROI score (0-100), which weights five quantifiable factors: Earnings Premium (30%), Payback Period (25%), Debt-to-Earnings (20%), Completion Rate (15%), and Loan Repayment (10%). All data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. No subjective criteria are used.
Full methodology →