The college explorer
Find a college.
See what it returns.
Look beyond the sticker price. Explore real costs, graduate earnings, and how long a degree takes to pay for itself.
How we measure value3,376colleges to explore
434with a Strong ROI verdict
College Scorecard · 2026 release
Federal figures. Our calculations.
3,376 matching colleges · Showing 313–336
Compare collegesBrowse by state or territory
Payback guideStrong ≤5 yearsSolid ≤10Slow ≤20Weak >20 or no payback
California 334 matching
View state rankingWeak ROI
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA
Net price / year$40,613PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Taft College
Taft, CA
Net price / year$2,823PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA
Net price / year$58,098Payback6.7 years
Slow ROI
Biola University
La Mirada, CA
Net price / year$31,495Payback15 years
Solid ROI
Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts
San Jose, CA
Net price / year$32,427Payback7 years
Weak ROI
Palo Verde College
Blythe, CA
Net price / year$18,993PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Lemoore College
Lemoore, CA
Net price / year$10,832PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
University of the Pacific
Stockton, CA
Net price / year$25,447Payback3.4 years
Strong ROI
West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County
Anaheim, CA
Net price / year$32,879Payback2.4 years
Solid ROI
Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, CA
Net price / year$38,729Payback9.9 years
Weak ROI
Cerro Coso Community College
Ridgecrest, CA
Net price / year$18,306PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Woodland Community College
Woodland, CA
Net price / year$8,356PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Compton College
Compton, CA
Net price / year$12,647PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
University of La Verne
La Verne, CA
Net price / year$20,161Payback4.7 years
Weak ROI
Mendocino College
Ukiah, CA
Net price / year$8,330PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Porterville College
Porterville, CA
Net price / year$12,301PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, CA
Net price / year$22,212Payback4.9 years
Strong ROI
West Coast University-Ontario
Ontario, CA
Net price / year$49,590Payback3.7 years
Weak ROI
Barstow Community College
Barstow, CA
Net price / year$12,773PaybackNot available
Slow ROI
Stanbridge University
Irvine, CA
Net price / year$45,372Payback13.2 years
Weak ROI
Coalinga College
Coalinga, CA
Net price / year$10,477PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
Smith Chason College
Los Angeles, CA
Net price / year$34,367Payback7.1 years
Weak ROI
DeVry University-California
Ontario, CA
Net price / year$33,744PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, CA
Net price / year$30,109Payback5.9 years