2023 Best Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
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. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamp that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Best Bachelor's Degree 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 89 schools in California to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school us, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Claremont McKenna College the best school in California for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $58,111 to cover tuition and fees at Claremont McKenna. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $13,117 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Claremont McKenna is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Out of the 89 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvey Mudd College landed the # 2 spot on the list.
The average tuition and fees at Harvey Mudd College is $60,703. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
Out of the 89 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the # 3 spot on the list.
If you want to attend Stanford, expect to pay an average of $56,169 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Stanford accumulate an average of $13,926 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list.
If you want to attend Caltech, expect to pay an average of $58,680 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Pomona College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list.
Pomona does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $56,686. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Santa Clara University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list.
The average tuition and fees at SCU is $55,860. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $19,249 in loans while pursuing their degree.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
In-state students pay an average of $14,226 in tuition and fees if they attend UC Berkeley full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $43,980. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $15,205 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at UC Berkeley. During the 2019-2020 year, about 100% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #8, Golden Gate University - San Francisco did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
The average tuition and fees at Golden Gate University - San Francisco is $11,343. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $35,348 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Golden Gate University - San Francisco. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 96% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
Students from California who attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo full time pay an average of $10,195 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $28,105. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo accumulate an average of $18,067 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Cal Poly San Luis Obispo does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 100% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Southern California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list.
If you want to attend USC, expect to pay an average of $61,503 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $15,669 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at USC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 98% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #12, Brandman University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
Brandman does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $12,480. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Brandman accumulate an average of $31,173 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Brandman is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #13 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list.
In-state students pay an average of $13,258 in tuition and fees if they attend UCLA full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $43,012. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,277 in student loans.
UCLA does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 100% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #14, California State University Maritime Academy did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
Students from California who attend Cal Maritime full time pay an average of $7,116 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $18,996. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $24,597 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Cal Maritime. During the 2019-2020 year, about 91% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #15 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $14,417 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend UCSB. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $44,171. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,986 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UCSB does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 100% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
University of California - Davis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $14,645 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend UC Davis. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $44,399. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $14,449 in loans while pursuing their degree.
UC Davis does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 100% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
National University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs.
Bachelor’s Degree recipients from National University accumulate an average of $32,281 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
National University does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 39% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Westmont College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs.
If you want to attend Westmont, expect to pay an average of $48,660 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $20,522 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Westmont, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 22% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Dominican University of California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list.
The average tuition and fees at DUofC is $47,910. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from DUofC accumulate an average of $27,447 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at DUofC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 98% took at least some of their classes online.
University of San Francisco did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #20 on the list.
USFCA does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $53,472. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,881 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, USFCA is an excellent choice, since the school is online.
Loyola Marymount University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $53,051 to cover tuition and fees at Loyola Marymount. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $20,811 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Loyola Marymount is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
With a ranking of #22, University of California - San Diego did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $14,700 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend UCSD. Out-of-state students pay an average of $44,454. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $17,172 in loans while pursuing their degree.
UCSD does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 100% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Fresno Pacific University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list.
Fresno Pacific does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $33,452. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,110 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Fresno Pacific. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 8% took at least some of their classes online.
University of Phoenix - California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #24 on the list.
Bachelor’s Degree recipients from UOPX - California accumulate an average of $42,112 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UOPX - California does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 33% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Pepperdine University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list.
Pepperdine does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $59,702. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,930 in student loans.
Pepperdine is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Best Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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