2022 best colleges in California 
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Net cost: The median annual cost of all students that receive any aid. This does not refer to the “sticker price”, the price listed by the college.
Earnings: The median earnings of all bachelor-level students 10 years after enrollment. This includes both students that do and do not graduate, across all majors.
Payback: The amount of time in years it takes to pay off the median net cost by the median earnings. For this calculation, the median earning of high school graduates (in the school’s home state) are deducted from the median earnings.
Degree premium: The difference between the school’s median earnings and the median earnings for all schools in the same state. This is called “Vs. state average” in school profiles below.
Ranking: The payback rate is divided by the degree premium (set as a percentage), the lower the number the higher the rank. (i.e. payback=1, degree premium 20% higher than state school median: 1/120% = .883.
Stanford University
Stanford, California
Admission rate: 6%
Grad rate: 96%
Net cost: $11,496
Payback: Under a year
Earnings: $97,798
Vs. state average: + $47,119
Economic score: 0.36
Go to School
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
Admission rate: 7%
Grad rate: 93%
Net cost: $24,274
Payback: 1.2 Years
Earnings: $112,166
Vs. state average: + $61,487
Economic score: 0.52
Go to School
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Admission rate: 77%
Grad rate: 65%
Net cost: $2,768
Payback: Under a year
Earnings: $51,997
Vs. state average: + $1,318
Economic score: 0.54
Go to School
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Admission rate: 18%
Grad rate: 93%
Net cost: $15,329
Payback: 1.2 Years
Earnings: $80,364
Vs. state average: + $29,685
Economic score: 0.74
Go to School
University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Admission rate: 15%
Grad rate: 92%
Net cost: $14,279
Payback: 1.2 Years
Earnings: $73,744
Vs. state average: + $23,065
Economic score: 0.83
Go to School
University of California-San Diego
La Jolla, California
Admission rate: 37%
Grad rate: 89%
Net cost: $14,232
Payback: 1.3 Years
Earnings: $74,771
Vs. state average: + $24,092
Economic score: 0.85
Go to School
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California
Admission rate: 14%
Grad rate: 94%
Net cost: $22,161
Payback: 1.5 Years
Earnings: $86,571
Vs. state average: + $35,892
Economic score: 0.87
Go to School
California State University Maritime Academy
Vallejo, California
Admission rate: 83%
Grad rate: 70%
Net cost: $20,597
Payback: 1.6 Years
Earnings: $91,461
Vs. state average: + $40,782
Economic score: 0.87
Go to School
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California
Admission rate: 18%
Grad rate: 93%
Net cost: $32,727
Payback: 2.0 Years
Earnings: $108,988
Vs. state average: + $58,309
Economic score: 0.92
Go to School
University of California-Irvine
Irvine, California
Admission rate: 30%
Grad rate: 86%
Net cost: $14,783
Payback: 1.3 Years
Earnings: $71,961
Vs. state average: + $21,282
Economic score: 0.93
Go to School
California State University-Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California
Admission rate: 79%
Grad rate: 57%
Net cost: $5,318
Payback: 1.0 Years
Earnings: $52,606
Vs. state average: + $1,927
Economic score: 0.97
Go to School
California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock, California
Admission rate: 90%
Grad rate: 70%
Net cost: $6,019
Payback: 1.1 Years
Earnings: $53,964
Vs. state average: + $3,285
Economic score: 0.99
Go to School
California State University-Fresno
Fresno, California
Admission rate: 91%
Grad rate: 68%
Net cost: $5,464
Payback: 1.0 Years
Earnings: $52,201
Vs. state average: + $1,522
Economic score: 1.01
Go to School
University of California-Davis
Davis, California
Admission rate: 47%
Grad rate: 89%
Net cost: $14,669
Payback: 1.4 Years
Earnings: $69,766
Vs. state average: + $19,087
Economic score: 1.03
Go to School
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California
Admission rate: 39%
Grad rate: 84%
Net cost: $21,595
Payback: 1.7 Years
Earnings: $80,643
Vs. state average: + $29,964
Economic score: 1.09
Go to School
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Carson, California
Admission rate: 82%
Grad rate: 64%
Net cost: $4,215
Payback: 1.0 Years
Earnings: $47,340
Vs. state average: - $3,339
Economic score: 1.09
Go to School
Pomona College
Claremont, California
Admission rate: 9%
Grad rate: 94%
Net cost: $17,458
Payback: 1.6 Years
Earnings: $69,149
Vs. state average: + $18,470
Economic score: 1.18
Go to School
University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Admission rate: 37%
Grad rate: 85%
Net cost: $15,884
Payback: 1.6 Years
Earnings: $66,491
Vs. state average: + $15,812
Economic score: 1.23
Go to School
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California
Admission rate: 51%
Grad rate: 91%
Net cost: $38,327
Payback: 2.3 Years
Earnings: $93,291
Vs. state average: + $42,612
Economic score: 1.24
Go to School
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, California
Admission rate: 68%
Grad rate: 77%
Net cost: $7,991
Payback: 1.3 Years
Earnings: $54,586
Vs. state average: + $3,907
Economic score: 1.25
Go to School