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Best Value Computer & Information Sciences Schools in California

2023 Best Value Computer & Information Sciences Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

44 Colleges
$8,848 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$59,872 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Computer & Information Sciences School for You

Computer & Information Sciences is the #11 most popular major in California with 20,550 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Computer & Information Sciences Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 44 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for computer and information sciences students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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 10 Best Computer & Information Sciences Schools

$14,226 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of California - Berkeley the best value school in California for computer and information sciences students. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Berkeley are $14,226 a year. On average, computer and information sciences graduates from UC Berkeley take out $14,203 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $386, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UC Berkeley is ranked #3 for overall quality for computer and information sciences in California.

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$10,195 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Computer & Information Sciences Schools in California list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 a year. After completing their degree, computer and information sciences graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debtload of $20,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $464, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

In addition to its great value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Computer & Information Sciences Schools in California list.

Full Computer & Information Sciences at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

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$6,817 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Channel Islands. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Computer & Information Sciences Schools in California list. CSUCI is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Camarillo.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUCI are $6,817 per year. On average, computer and information sciences graduates from CSUCI take out $24,685 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Computer & Information Sciences at California State University - Channel Islands Report

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$7,864 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means California State University - Chico is a great value for computer and information sciences students. Chico State is a large public school located in the midsize city of Chico.

Chico State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,864 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that computer and information sciences majors at Chico State take out is $17,002.

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$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Computer & Information Sciences Schools in California list. CSULB is a very large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a year. While working on their degree, computer and information sciences majors at CSULB accumulate an average of around $16,760 in student debt.

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$7,439 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer and information sciences students. Located in the suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 a year. After completing their degree, computer and information sciences graduates from Cal Poly Pomona carry an average student debtload of $18,303.

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$7,218 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer and information sciences students. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

CSUMB undergraduate students pay an average of $7,218 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Computer & Information Sciences majors at CSUMB take out an average of $17,985 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$7,043 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Northridge came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer & Information Sciences Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Northridge, CSUN is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUN are $7,043 a year. While working on their degree, computer and information sciences majors at CSUN accumulate an average of around $17,208 in student debt.

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San Jose State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value computer and information sciences programs. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Jose.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jose State are $7,852 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, San Jose State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Computer & Information Sciences Schools in California list.

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$7,392 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer and information sciences students. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Sac State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,392 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Computer & Information Sciences majors at Sac State take out an average of $17,744 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Best Value Computer & Information Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Computer & Information Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 5,454
Oregon 1,881
Hawaii 359
Nevada 486
Alaska 60

Computer & Information Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Computer Information Systems 88,434
Computer Science 59,565
Information Technology 40,555
Information Science 18,325
Computer Systems Networking 14,700
Computer Software & Applications 14,336
Computer Programming 11,939
Computer Systems Analysis 2,338
Data Processing 1,955
Other Computer & Information Sciences 1,755
Data Entry 552

Related Major Annual Graduates
Engineering 198,468
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 177,778
Engineering Technologies 85,188
Mathematics & Statistics 52,396
Physical Sciences 50,306

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 Almonroth.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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