2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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.
The Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities 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 85 schools in California to see which 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 15% Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Los Angeles Valley College the best value school in California for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. LAVC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Valley Glen.
LAVC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,238 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at LAVC accumulate an average of around $9,409 in student debt.
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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 & Humanities Schools in California list. Cuesta College is a medium-sized public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
Cuesta College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,338 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cuesta College also is in the top 20% of our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in California ranking.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means East Los Angeles College is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. East Los Angeles College is a fairly 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. On average, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from East Los Angeles College take out $7,627 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Out of the 85 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, West Valley College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Saratoga, West Valley College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at West Valley College are $1,490 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chaffey College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in California list. Chaffey College is a large public school located in the suburb of Rancho Cucamonga.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Chaffey College are $1,184 a year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities majors at Chaffey College take out an average of $7,784 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Los Angeles City College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities 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.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Los Angeles City College are $1,238 per year. After completing their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from Los Angeles City College carry an average student debtload of $9,500.
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Cerritos College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in California ranking. 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. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities majors at Cerritos College take out an average of $10,781 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #8, Merced College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. Merced Community College District is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Merced.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Merced Community College District are $1,180 per year. On average, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from Merced Community College District take out $8,125 in student loans while working on their degree.
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San Jose City College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in California list. Located in the large 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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Los Angeles Harbor College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. It came in at #10 on the list. LAHC is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Wilmington.
LAHC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,238 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from LAHC carry an average student debtload of $6,413.
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Santa Ana College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in California list. Located in the city of Santa Ana, SAC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
SAC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,180 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities majors at SAC take out an average of $7,043 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Riverside City College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. Located in the city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Riverside City College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,420 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at Riverside City College accumulate an average of around $9,338 in student debt.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities 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 / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools 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 |
More Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Rankings in California
Majors Related to Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
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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