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.
334 matching colleges · Showing 289–312
Compare collegesBrowse by state or territory
Payback guideStrong ≤5 yearsSolid ≤10Slow ≤20Weak >20 or no payback
California 334 matching
View state rankingWeak ROI
American Beauty College
West Covina, CA
Net price / year$25,781PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Carrington College-San Leandro Campus
San Leandro, CA
Net price / year$39,675PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Bellus Academy-Poway
Poway, CA
Net price / year$32,767PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Paul Mitchell the School-Temecula
Temecula, CA
Net price / year$27,850PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology
Riverside, CA
Net price / year$32,601Payback9.9 years
Weak ROI
Associated Technical College-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Net price / year$23,629PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Paul Mitchell the School-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
Net price / year$16,717PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
Brownson Technical School
Anaheim, CA
Net price / year$30,513Payback6 years
Weak ROI
South Coast College
Orange, CA
Net price / year$16,534PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Mirage
Rancho Mirage, CA
Net price / year$28,158PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Gnomon
North Hollywood, CA
Net price / year$51,949Payback3.1 years
Weak ROI
North-West College-Van Nuys
Van Nuys, CA
Net price / year$31,999PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Mayfield College
Cathedral City, CA
Net price / year$24,948PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Glendale Career College-North-West College-MFSON
West Covina, CA
Net price / year$45,438PaybackNot available
Slow ROI
John Paul the Great Catholic University
Escondido, CA
Net price / year$34,666Payback16.2 years
Weak ROI
Paul Mitchell the School-Sherman Oaks
Sherman Oaks, CA
Net price / year$27,101PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Unitek College
Hayward, CA
Net price / year$19,130Payback1.9 years
Strong ROI
Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science
Los Angeles, CA
Net price / year$35,558Payback4.1 years
Weak ROI
American College of Healthcare and Technology
Riverside, CA
Net price / year$19,649PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
CET-San Jose
San Jose, CA
Net price / year$16,101PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Diversified Vocational College
Los Angeles, CA
Net price / year$21,711PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Milan Institute of Cosmetology-Vacaville
Vacaville, CA
Net price / year$23,880PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster
Lancaster, CA
Net price / year$26,717PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Salon Success Academy-Upland
Upland, CA
Net price / year$17,658PaybackNot available