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Best Value Psychology Associate Degree Schools in California

2023 Best Value Psychology Associate Degree Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

7 Colleges
$1,264 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$21,435 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Psychology Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, psychology students earned 40,562 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 5th in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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 Psychology Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 7 schools in California to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for psychology 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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Best California Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Psychology

#1

Merced College

Merced, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Merced College the best value school in California for psychology students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Merced Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $1,180 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Merced Community College District also claimed a spot on our Best Psychology Associate Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full Psychology at Merced College Report

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#2

College of the Canyons

Santa Clarita, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend College of the Canyons. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Associate Degree Schools in California list. College of the Canyons is a large public school located in the large suburb of Santa Clarita.

College of the Canyons undergraduate students pay an average of $1,146 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Out of the 7 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Mt. San Antonio College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Mt. SAC is a very large public school located in the suburb of Walnut.

Mt. SAC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,352 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#4

College of the Desert

Palm Desert, CA

The excellent associate degree programs at College of the Desert helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value psychology schools in California. College of the Desert is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Palm Desert.

College of the Desert undergraduate students pay an average of $1,326 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Psychology at College of the Desert

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#5

San Diego Mesa College

San Diego, CA

Out of the 7 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego Mesa College landed the # 5 spot on the list. San Diego Mesa College is a large public school located in the city of San Diego.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Diego Mesa College are $1,144 per year.

Full Psychology at San Diego Mesa College Report

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#6

Fresno City College

Fresno, CA

Fresno City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for psychology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno City College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Fresno City College are $1,304 per year.

Full Psychology at Fresno City College Report

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#7

College of the Sequoias

Visalia, CA

College of the Sequoias landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree psychology programs. Located in the city of Visalia, College of the Sequoias is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at College of the Sequoias are $1,394 a year.

Read full report on Psychology at College of the Sequoias

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Best Value Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 2,848
Oregon 2,071
Hawaii 511
Nevada 996
Alaska 133

Psychology Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 141,695
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 33,758
Child Development & Psychology 17,542
Other Psychology 2,683

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 327,871
Social Sciences 205,984
Communication & Journalism 120,571
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 55,820
History 32,731

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 7 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 Nevit Dilmen.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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