Best colleges for education in California
California State University-Fresno ranks first in California for education value (#3 nationally, value score 90.3): graduates earn $62,475 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $5,418 a year.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 15 California colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026
Best education colleges in California
California State University-Fresno ranks first in California for education value (#3 nationally, value score 90.3): graduates earn $62,475 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $5,418 a year. 15 California colleges qualify. At the median one, education graduates earn $53,761 and the average net price is $13,243 a year.
Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025
What the data shows
Key findings
- 15 California colleges qualify. At the median one, education graduates earn $53,761 and the average net price is $13,243 a year.
- The highest education earnings in the state are at California State University-Sacramento ($82,062), ranked #2 in the state once cost, debt and graduation rate count.
- The lowest average net price among them is at California State University-Los Angeles: $2,385 a year.
- Median earnings
- $53,761
- National: $48,822
- Median net price
- $13,243
- National: $17,201
- Median federal debt
- $14,500
- education graduates
- Public colleges
- 10 of 15
- in this list
15 colleges
The California ranking
Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
- Earnings
- $62,475
- Net price
- $5,418
- Federal debt
- $12,000
- Graduation rate
- 58%
- Rank in California 2
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA · Public · #12 nationally
86.2Value- Earnings
- $82,062
- Net price
- $11,186
- Federal debt
- $23,000
- Graduation rate
- 54%
- Rank in California 3
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA · Public · #17 nationally
83.8Value- Earnings
- $59,993
- Net price
- $9,803
- Federal debt
- $12,500
- Graduation rate
- 50%
- Earnings
- $54,356
- Net price
- $13,866
- Federal debt
- $9,016
- Graduation rate
- 87%
- Rank in California 5
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public · #40 nationally
76.7Value- Earnings
- $55,543
- Net price
- $18,832
- Federal debt
- $15,334
- Graduation rate
- 87%
- Rank in California 6
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA · Public · #50 nationally
75.1Value- Earnings
- $50,444
- Net price
- $2,385
- Federal debt
- $12,500
- Graduation rate
- 55%
- Rank in California 7
California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA · Public · #63 nationally
73.0Value- Earnings
- $51,445
- Net price
- $10,939
- Federal debt
- $14,500
- Graduation rate
- 55%
- Earnings
- $64,917
- Net price
- $46,708
- Federal debt
- $18,750
- Graduation rate
- 83%
- Earnings
- $48,471
- Net price
- $13,243
- Federal debt
- $14,000
- Graduation rate
- 78%
- Rank in California 10
Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · #159 nationally
60.4Value- Earnings
- $56,198
- Net price
- $40,555
- Federal debt
- $22,995
- Graduation rate
- 77%
- Rank in California 11
California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock, CA · Public · #188 nationally
56.6Value- Earnings
- $44,020
- Net price
- $3,565
- Federal debt
- $12,490
- Graduation rate
- 52%
- Rank in California 12
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA · Public · #222 nationally
53.5Value- Earnings
- $44,654
- Net price
- $7,244
- Federal debt
- $12,500
- Graduation rate
- 42%
- Earnings
- $51,566
- Net price
- $32,530
- Federal debt
- $21,625
- Graduation rate
- 68%
- Rank in California 14
National University-California
La Jolla, CA · Private nonprofit · #370 nationally
39.2Value- Earnings
- $53,761
- Net price
- $24,008
- Federal debt
- $32,812
- Graduation rate
- 43%
- Rank in California 15
Riverside, CA · Private nonprofit · #504 nationally
18.4Value- Earnings
- $41,749
- Net price
- $24,138
- Federal debt
- $25,000
- Graduation rate
- 60%
Method: the same value score as the national education ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.
Questions about education colleges in California
What are the best colleges for education in California?
By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 California colleges for education are California State University-Fresno (value score 90.3), California State University-Sacramento (value score 86.2) and San Francisco State University (value score 83.8). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.
Which California college has the highest earnings for education graduates?
California State University-Sacramento: its education graduates have median earnings of $82,062 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
What is the most affordable education college in California on this list?
California State University-Los Angeles has the lowest average net price of the ranked California colleges, $2,385 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.
How many California colleges are ranked for education?
15 California colleges have a education bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within California.