The college explorer
Find a college.
See what it returns.
Look beyond the sticker price. Explore real costs, graduate earnings, and how long a degree takes to pay for itself.
How we measure value3,376colleges to explore
434with a Strong ROI verdict
College Scorecard · 2026 release
Federal figures. Our calculations.
3,376 matching colleges · Showing 265–288
Compare collegesBrowse by state or territory
Payback guideStrong ≤5 yearsSolid ≤10Slow ≤20Weak >20 or no payback
California 334 matching
View state rankingWeak ROI
Los Angeles Mission College
Sylmar, CA
Net price / year$13,380PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
College of San Mateo
San Mateo, CA
Net price / year$536Payback0.2 years
Solid ROI
Evergreen Valley College
San Jose, CA
Net price / year$12,414Payback5.3 years
Weak ROI
Imperial Valley College
Imperial, CA
Net price / year$1,115PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Skyline College
San Bruno, CA
Net price / year$1,738Payback0.5 years
Strong ROI
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Net price / year$13,807Payback0.7 years
Solid ROI
Chapman University
Orange, CA
Net price / year$46,555Payback8.6 years
Weak ROI
Coastline Community College
Fountain Valley, CA
Net price / year$16,341PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Los Medanos College
Pittsburg, CA
Net price / year$7,443PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Las Positas College
Livermore, CA
Net price / year$5,377Payback3.9 years
Weak ROI
West Los Angeles College
Culver City, CA
Net price / year$9,634PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo, CA
Net price / year$12,124PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Cuyamaca College
El Cajon, CA
Net price / year$6,618PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
San Jose City College
San Jose, CA
Net price / year$16,959PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Ohlone College
Fremont, CA
Net price / year$11,130Payback3.8 years
Solid ROI
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA
Net price / year$48,381Payback6.5 years
Weak ROI
Laney College
Oakland, CA
Net price / year$17,110PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
California State University-Monterey Bay
Seaside, CA
Net price / year$13,663Payback5 years
Weak ROI
Los Angeles Harbor College
Wilmington, CA
Net price / year$13,250PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Net price / year$50,062Payback3.3 years
Strong ROI
West Valley College
Saratoga, CA
Net price / year$3,423Payback2.1 years
Weak ROI
Oxnard College
Oxnard, CA
Net price / year-$1,128PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Shasta College
Redding, CA
Net price / year$2,878PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Mission College
Santa Clara, CA
Net price / year$5,080Payback3.9 years