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Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in California

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

44 Colleges
$1,290 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,682 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, liberal arts / sciences and humanities students earned 52,773 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 3rd in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 44 schools in California to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools

#1

Los Angeles Valley College

Valley Glen, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Los Angeles Valley College the best value school in California for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. LAVC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Valley Glen.

LAVC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,238 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

LAVC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in California list.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Los Angeles Valley College Report

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#2

West Valley College

Saratoga, CA

The excellent associate degree programs at West Valley College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in California. Located in the large suburb of Saratoga, West Valley College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at West Valley College are $1,490 per year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at West Valley College Report

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#3

San Jose City College

San Jose, CA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means San Jose City College is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose City College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

San Jose City College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,366 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#4

Chaffey College

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chaffey College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in California list. Chaffey College is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Rancho Cucamonga.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Chaffey College are $1,184 per year.

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#5

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

The excellent associate degree programs at Riverside City College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in California. Located in the city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public school with a large student population.

Riverside City College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,420 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#6

Los Angeles City College

Los Angeles, CA

With a ranking of #6, Los Angeles City College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles City College is a public college 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.

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#7

Los Angeles Harbor College

Wilmington, CA

Los Angeles Harbor College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. LAHC is a moderately-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.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Los Angeles Harbor College Report

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#8

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA

Santa Ana College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. 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.

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#9

Los Angeles Pierce College

Woodland Hills, CA

Los Angeles Pierce College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in California list. Pierce College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Woodland Hills.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Pierce College are $1,238 a year.

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Los Angeles Mission College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. Los Angeles Mission College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Sylmar.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Los Angeles Mission College are $1,238 per year.

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Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 17,408
Oregon 8,599
Hawaii 2,024
Nevada 1,679
Alaska 417

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts General Studies 556,813

Majors Similar to Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities

Related Major Annual Graduates
Visual & Performing Arts 149,215
English Language & Literature 54,635
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 33,333
Theology & Religious Vocations 27,459
Philosophy & Religious Studies 19,993

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 Jacques Sablet (Switzerland, Morges, 1749-1803).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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