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 73–96
Compare collegesBrowse by state or territory
Payback guideStrong ≤5 yearsSolid ≤10Slow ≤20Weak >20 or no payback
California 334 matching
View state rankingWeak ROI
MiraCosta College
Oceanside, CA
Net price / year$7,339PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
College of the Desert
Palm Desert, CA
Net price / year$15,728PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Ventura College
Ventura, CA
Net price / year-$982PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Merced College
Merced, CA
Net price / year$5,040PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Los Angeles, CA
Net price / year$12,323PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara, CA
Net price / year$11,315PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
California State University-East Bay
Hayward, CA
Net price / year$9,320Payback1.6 years
Weak ROI
Hartnell College
Salinas, CA
Net price / year$2,039PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Folsom Lake College
Folsom, CA
Net price / year$5,975PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Moreno Valley College
Moreno Valley, CA
Net price / year$6,483Payback3.4 years
Weak ROI
Golden West College
Huntington Beach, CA
Net price / year$4,824PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Butte College
Oroville, CA
Net price / year$5,520PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Norco College
Norco, CA
Net price / year$5,169Payback3.6 years
Strong ROI
California State University-Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA
Net price / year$5,652Payback2.1 years
Strong ROI
California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock, CA
Net price / year$6,067Payback1.6 years
Strong ROI
University of California-Merced
Merced, CA
Net price / year$11,983Payback3 years
Weak ROI
Citrus College
Glendora, CA
Net price / year$4,135PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
California Baptist University
Riverside, CA
Net price / year$26,285Payback8 years
Weak ROI
Solano Community College
Fairfield, CA
Net price / year$4,669PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Allan Hancock College
Santa Maria, CA
Net price / year$5,383PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Cabrillo College
Aptos, CA
Net price / year$15,843PaybackNot available
Weak 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