Best value colleges for Finance in California.2026 Rankings
With 25 Finance programs spread across California, narrowing your list takes real data. Our algorithm ranks each school on six factors — admission rate, graduation rate, net price, median graduate earnings, student-faculty ratio, and major breadth — so you can compare apples to apples before you apply.
California offers 10 public and 15 private Finance programs in this ranking. Public universities average $28,891 for in-state students, making them a strong value option. The most competitive school on the list — San Diego State University — accepts 34% of applicants. Early-career earnings for Finance graduates average $36,081, with a state-wide graduation rate of 60% for ranked programs.
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ranked by value score
| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of San DiegoPrivate | Great· 41 | 47% | 82% | $19,998 | $64,819 | 14:1 | 43 | 5,619 |
| 2 | Santa Clara UniversityPrivate | Great· 40 | 44% | 88% | $41,599 | $79,929 | 10:1 | 45 | 6,235 |
| 3 | Fresno Pacific UniversityPrivate | Great· 39 | 58% | 56% | $11,116 | $42,313 | 8:1 | 62 | 1,614 |
| 4 | Great· 38 | 47% | 70% | $9,063 | $48,961 | 19:1 | 84 | 34,131 | |
| 5 | Loyola Marymount UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 40% | 80% | $32,869 | $70,542 | 11:1 | 50 | 7,171 |
| 6 | Pepperdine UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 50% | 85% | $40,201 | $49,653 | 13:1 | 43 | 3,629 |
| 7 | Strong· 36 | 34% | 78% | $14,205 | $53,373 | 22:1 | 79 | 33,654 | |
| 8 | Strong· 34 | 80% | 65% | $12,948 | $58,993 | 18:1 | 90 | 26,757 | |
| 9 | Good· 33 | 93% | 53% | $9,293 | $37,645 | 15:1 | 27 | 5,230 | |
| 10 | Good· 33 | 91% | 47% | $4,942 | $37,973 | 18:1 | 59 | 12,642 | |
| 11 | University of San FranciscoPrivate | Good· 33 | 51% | 71% | $34,211 | $64,972 | 12:1 | 44 | 5,697 |
| 12 | Good· 32 | 96% | 55% | $7,220 | $41,970 | 18:1 | 83 | 21,070 | |
| 13 | Good· 32 | 98% | 55% | $6,381 | $41,467 | 19:1 | 63 | 15,771 | |
| 14 | La Sierra UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 93% | 68% | $25,297 | $33,651 | 11:1 | 50 | 1,155 |
| 15 | Good· 32 | 89% | 69% | $24,408 | $46,323 | 10:1 | 53 | 2,024 | |
| 16 | Good· 31 | 96% | 50% | $12,916 | $62,778 | 16:1 | 86 | 20,033 | |
| 17 | Good· 30 | 93% | 56% | $8,897 | $48,553 | 21:1 | 76 | 32,357 | |
| 18 | Good· 30 | 96% | 54% | $9,980 | $54,408 | 21:1 | 47 | 14,174 | |
| 19 | Good· 30 | 82% | 74% | $49,500 | $49,409 | 13:1 | 58 | 3,132 | |
| 20 | Average· 28 | 74% | 60% | $23,799 | $47,533 | 20:1 | 78 | 7,914 | |
| 21 | Golden Gate UniversityPrivate | Fair· 24 | — | — | $31,243 | $91,336 | 10:1 | 10 | 550 |
| 22 | Menlo CollegePrivate | Fair· 22 | 68% | 51% | $30,099 | $69,684 | 12:1 | 5 | 811 |
| 23 | Ashford UniversityPrivate | Weak· 20 | — | 9% | $26,377 | $57,566 | 16:1 | 55 | 23,734 |
| 24 | National UniversityPrivate | Weak· 19 | — | 50% | $37,116 | $66,420 | 16:1 | 53 | 9,725 |
| 25 | Poor· 16 | — | 18% | — | $70,963 | 7:1 | 19 | 155 |