2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies School for You
Liberal Arts General Studies is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 52,773 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 2nd out of all the majors we track in the state.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 85 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for liberal arts majors pursuing a .
Top 15% Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools
Our analysis found Los Angeles Valley College to be the best value school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a degree in California. LAVC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Valley Glen.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at LAVC are $1,238 a year. Liberal Arts majors at LAVC take out an average of $9,409 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Los Angeles Valley College Report
The excellent programs at Cuesta College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in California. Cuesta College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cuesta College are $1,338 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cuesta College also did well on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Out of the 85 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, East Los Angeles College landed the # 3 spot on the list. East Los Angeles College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Monterey Park.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at East Los Angeles College are $1,238 per year. While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at East Los Angeles College accumulate an average of around $7,627 in student debt.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at East Los Angeles College
The excellent programs at West Valley College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in California. Located in the suburb of Saratoga, West Valley College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
West Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,490 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
The excellent programs at Chaffey College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in California. Chaffey College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Rancho Cucamonga.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Chaffey College are $1,184 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Chaffey College take out $7,784 in student loans while working on their degree.
Los Angeles City College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in California list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles City College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Los Angeles City College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,238 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Los Angeles City College carry an average student debtload of $9,500.
Cerritos College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Cerritos College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Norwalk.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cerritos College are $1,346 per year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Cerritos College carry an average student debtload of $10,781.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Cerritos College
Merced College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Merced Community College District is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Merced.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Merced Community College District are $1,180 a year. Liberal Arts majors at Merced Community College District take out an average of $8,125 in student loans while working on their egree.
San Jose City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose City College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jose City College are $1,366 per year.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at San Jose City College Report
Los Angeles Harbor College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in California list. LAHC is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Wilmington.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LAHC are $1,238 per year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at LAHC take out is $6,413.
Santa Ana College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the city of Santa Ana, SAC is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SAC are $1,180 per year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at SAC take out is $7,043.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Santa Ana College
Riverside City College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the large city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Riverside City College are $1,420 a year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Riverside City College take out is $9,338.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Riverside City College
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Liberal Arts General Studies students in the state of California seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Los Angeles Mission College | Sylmar, CA |
| 14 | Evergreen Valley College | San Jose, CA |
| 15 | Moreno Valley College | Moreno Valley, CA |
| 16 | Orange Coast College | Costa Mesa, CA |
| 17 | Los Angeles Southwest College | Los Angeles, CA |
Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 17,408 |
| Oregon | 8,599 |
| Nevada | 1,679 |
| Hawaii | 2,024 |
| Alaska | 417 |
More Liberal Arts General Studies Rankings in California
Liberal Arts General Studies Related Majors for Liberal Arts
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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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