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 361–384
Compare collegesBrowse by state or territory
Payback guideStrong ≤5 yearsSolid ≤10Slow ≤20Weak >20 or no payback
California 334 matching
View state rankingStrong ROI
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, CA
Net price / year$28,849Payback2 years
Weak ROI
Institute of Technology
Clovis, CA
Net price / year$23,159PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
UEI College-Chula Vista
Chula Vista, CA
Net price / year$28,606PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
UEI College-Gardena
Gardena, CA
Net price / year$28,691PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Copper Mountain Community College
Joshua Tree, CA
Net price / year$9,105PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
Westmont College
Santa Barbara, CA
Net price / year$29,053Payback7.1 years
Slow ROI
William Jessup University
Rocklin, CA
Net price / year$28,062Payback14.2 years
Weak ROI
National Holistic Institute
Emeryville, CA
Net price / year$33,287PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
Pitzer College
Claremont, CA
Net price / year$34,191Payback6.5 years
Weak ROI
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, CA
Net price / year$51,248Payback20.9 years
Weak ROI
UEI College-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
Net price / year$28,670PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Universal Technical Institute of Northern California Inc
Sacramento, CA
Net price / year$28,887PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
UEI College-Reseda
Reseda, CA
Net price / year$27,464PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
College of the Siskiyous
Weed, CA
Net price / year$11,120PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Career Networks Institute
Santa Ana, CA
Net price / year$49,677PaybackNot available
Slow ROI
La Sierra University
Riverside, CA
Net price / year$45,566Payback13.5 years
Weak ROI
Laurus College
San Luis Obispo, CA
Net price / year$22,733PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Dominican University of California
San Rafael, CA
Net price / year$35,333Payback3.9 years
Strong ROI
Scripps College
Claremont, CA
Net price / year$36,294Payback5 years
Weak ROI
UEI College-Huntington Park
Huntington Park, CA
Net price / year$29,145PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
UEI College-Garden Grove
Garden Grove, CA
Net price / year$28,182PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
UEI College-Ontario
Ontario, CA
Net price / year$26,394PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
UEI College-Fresno
Fresno, CA
Net price / year$28,282PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, CA
Net price / year$53,909Payback204.6 years