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 25–48
Compare collegesBrowse by state or territory
Payback guideStrong ≤5 yearsSolid ≤10Slow ≤20Weak >20 or no payback
California 334 matching
View state rankingStrong ROI
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
Net price / year$32,740Payback3 years
Strong ROI
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Net price / year$3,967Payback1.5 years
Weak ROI
El Camino Community College District
Torrance, CA
Net price / year$5,968PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Cerritos College
Norwalk, CA
Net price / year$2,424PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA
Net price / year$12,278Payback2.5 years
Weak ROI
Southwestern College
Chula Vista, CA
Net price / year$12,671PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Riverside City College
Riverside, CA
Net price / year$8,377PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Chaffey College
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Net price / year$5,672PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
University of California-Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA
Net price / year$17,890Payback3.6 years
Weak ROI
Palomar College
San Marcos, CA
Net price / year$5,763PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Saddleback College
Mission Viejo, CA
Net price / year$4,152Payback3.3 years
Weak ROI
Sacramento City College
Sacramento, CA
Net price / year$6,614PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
City College of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Net price / year$6,906PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Bakersfield College
Bakersfield, CA
Net price / year$14,621PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Fullerton College
Fullerton, CA
Net price / year$6,134PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, CA
Net price / year$5,814PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa, CA
Net price / year$7,203PaybackNot available
Slow ROI
College of the Canyons
Santa Clarita, CA
Net price / year$3,702Payback11.2 years
Weak ROI
San Joaquin Delta College
Stockton, CA
Net price / year$2,407PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Rio Hondo College
Whittier, CA
Net price / year$14,379PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
Diablo Valley College
Pleasant Hill, CA
Net price / year$8,312Payback5.5 years
Strong ROI
De Anza College
Cupertino, CA
Net price / year$6,642Payback1.6 years
Weak ROI
Mt San Jacinto Community College District
San Jacinto, CA
Net price / year$6,806PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Modesto Junior College
Modesto, CA
Net price / year$2,818PaybackNot available