2023 Best Value Accounting Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Accounting School for You
With 4,040 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, accounting is the #31 most popular major in California.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Accounting Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 74 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for accounting students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 15% Best Accounting Schools
Our analysis found College of the Canyons to be the best value school for accounting students who want to pursue a degree in California. College of the Canyons is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Santa Clarita.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at College of the Canyons are $1,146 a year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Evergreen Valley College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools in California list. Evergreen Valley College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of San Jose.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Evergreen Valley College are $1,366 per year.
Read full report on Accounting at Evergreen Valley College
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The excellent programs at Mt. San Antonio College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best accounting schools in California. Mt. SAC is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Walnut.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Mt. SAC are $1,352 a year.
Full Accounting at Mt. San Antonio College Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cerritos College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Accounting Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Norwalk, Cerritos College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cerritos College are $1,346 per year.
Full Accounting at Cerritos College Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American River College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Accounting Schools in California list. American River is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Sacramento.
Full Accounting at American River College Report
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Coastline Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools in California ranking. Located in the small city of Fountain Valley, Coastline Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Coastline Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,170 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Accounting at Coastline Community College Report
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Santa Ana College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools in California ranking. SAC is a very large public school located in the city of Santa Ana.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SAC are $1,180 per year. On average, accounting graduates from SAC take out $13,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Ventura College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value accounting programs. Ventura College is a large public school located in the midsize city of Ventura.
Ventura College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,394 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #9, San Diego Miramar College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for accounting students. Located in the city of San Diego, San Diego Miramar College is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Diego Miramar College are $1,144 a year.
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Riverside City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for accounting students. It came in at #10 on the list. Riverside City College is a large public school located in the large city of Riverside.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Riverside City College are $1,420 a year.
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Fresno City College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value accounting programs. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno City College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Fresno City College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,304 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Accounting at Fresno City College
Request InformationHonorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Accounting Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | San Bernardino Valley College | San Bernardino, CA |
| 13 | Glendale Community College | Glendale, CA |
| 14 | El Camino College | Torrance, CA |
Best Value Accounting Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Accounting Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 1,634 |
| Oregon | 772 |
| Nevada | 396 |
| Hawaii | 215 |
| Alaska | 136 |
More Accounting Rankings in California
Majors Related to Accounting
Accounting is one of 21 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Accounting
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | 416,590 |
| Finance & Financial Management | 57,778 |
| General Business/Commerce | 56,042 |
| Marketing | 52,916 |
| Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods | 43,382 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Pixabay.
More about our data sources and methodologies.