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.
Top 15% Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Los Angeles Valley College the best value school in California for liberal arts general studies students. LAVC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Valley Glen.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LAVC are $1,238 per year. Liberal Arts majors at LAVC take out an average of $9,409 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Out of the 85 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Cuesta College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Cuesta College is a medium-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.
In addition to its great value ranking, Cuesta College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in California list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend East Los Angeles College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in California list. East Los Angeles College is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Monterey Park.
East Los Angeles College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,238 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at East Los Angeles College accumulate an average of around $7,627 in student debt.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend West Valley College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Saratoga, West Valley College is a public school 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.
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Out of the 85 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Chaffey College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Chaffey College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Rancho Cucamonga.
Chaffey College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,184 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Chaffey College take out $7,784 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Los Angeles City College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles City College is a public school with a 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.
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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 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.
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With a ranking of #8, Merced College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Merced Community College District is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Merced.
Merced Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $1,180 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts majors at Merced Community College District take out an average of $8,125 in student loans while working on their egree.
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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.
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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.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at LAHC are $1,238 a year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at LAHC take out is $6,413.
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Santa Ana College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in California list. Located in the city of Santa Ana, SAC is a public school with a fairly 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.
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Riverside City College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public school 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.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Riverside City College Report
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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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