2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate 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.
The Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 31 schools in California to see which undergraduate certificate 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 10 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Los Angeles Valley College the best value school in California for liberal arts general studies students working on their undergraduate certificate. LAVC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Valley Glen.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LAVC are $1,238 per year. While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, liberal arts majors at LAVC accumulate an average of around $11,749 in student debt.
LAVC also took the #1 spot in our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California rankings.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cuesta College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California list. Cuesta College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cuesta College are $1,338 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cuesta College also is in the top 10% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California ranking.
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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 Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California list. East Los Angeles College is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Monterey Park.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at East Los Angeles College are $1,238 a year. After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, liberal arts graduates from East Los Angeles College carry an average student debtload of $8,840.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, East Los Angeles College also is in the top 15% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California ranking.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at East Los Angeles College Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Los Angeles Harbor College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California list. LAHC is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Wilmington.
LAHC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,238 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at LAHC take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $11,310.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Los Angeles Harbor College
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The excellent undergraduate certificate programs at Los Angeles City College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts general studies schools in California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles City College is a public college with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Los Angeles City College are $1,238 per year. Liberal Arts majors at Los Angeles City College take out an average of $12,202 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Los Angeles City College also did well on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Merced College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California list. Merced Community College District is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Merced.
Merced Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $1,180 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Merced Community College District take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $10,074.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Merced Community College District also did well on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Merced College
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Chaffey College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. 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. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Chaffey College take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $9,073.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Chaffey College Report
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With a ranking of #8, Santa Ana College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the large city of Santa Ana, SAC is a public school with a very large student population.
SAC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,180 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts majors at SAC take out an average of $10,545 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Santa Ana College Report
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Los Angeles Mission College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. Los Angeles Mission College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Sylmar.
Los Angeles Mission College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,238 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Los Angeles Mission College take out $11,154 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate.
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San Jose City College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose City College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Jose City College are $1,366 a year.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at San Jose City College
Request InformationBest Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools 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.