Best Earnings After Graduation in California
25 schools ranked by median earnings 10 years after enrollment from College Scorecard. Updated from the latest federal filings.
Includes two-year, technical and community colleges alongside four-year universities — the typeis shown under each name. Schools appear only where the underlying figures exist: a real undergraduate population and a published graduation rate. Satellite campuses that repeat a parent institution's numbers are collapsed into one entry.
| # | School | Net Price | Grad Rate | Earnings 10yr | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvey Mudd College Claremont · private | $35,924 | 93.3% | $138,687 | 12.7% |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology Pasadena · private | $16,075 | 95.0% | $128,566 | 2.6% |
| 3 | Stanford University Stanford · private | $13,807 | 97.0% | $124,080 | 3.6% |
| 4 | Gnomon North Hollywood · private | $51,949 | 69.6% | $114,785 | 41.8% |
| 5 | Santa Clara University Santa Clara · private | $50,062 | 89.7% | $109,183 | 48.0% |
| 6 | Claremont McKenna College Claremont · private | $28,849 | 91.8% | $104,736 | 9.6% |
| 7 | West Coast University-Orange County Anaheim · private | $32,879 | 76.7% | $102,672 | — |
| 8 | California State University Maritime Academy Vallejo · public | $20,555 | 69.5% | $94,784 | 95.0% |
| 9 | University of Southern California Los Angeles · private | $32,740 | 93.3% | $92,498 | 9.8% |
| 10 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley · public | $13,481 | 94.3% | $92,446 | 11.0% |
| 11 | Chamberlain University-California Rancho Cordova · private | $36,559 | 84.0% | $92,405 | 80.0% |
| 12 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo · public | $16,665 | 87.1% | $90,768 | 31.3% |
| 13 | University of San Francisco San Francisco · private | $41,431 | 76.8% | $89,812 | 61.7% |
| 14 | University of San Diego San Diego · private | $30,365 | 81.5% | $86,522 | 52.4% |
| 15 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla · public | $12,470 | 89.6% | $84,943 | 26.7% |
| 16 | Dominican University of California San Rafael · private | $35,333 | 76.1% | $84,713 | 83.5% |
| 17 | Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science Los Angeles · private | $35,558 | 78.0% | $83,438 | 38.7% |
| 18 | Pepperdine University Malibu · private | $58,098 | 84.0% | $82,939 | 62.9% |
| 19 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles · public | $12,548 | 93.4% | $82,511 | 9.0% |
| 20 | University of California-Davis Davis · public | $14,741 | 88.9% | $80,838 | 41.8% |
| 21 | University of California-Irvine Irvine · public | $14,251 | 87.3% | $80,735 | 28.6% |
| 22 | Unitek College Fremont · private | $25,179 | 76.6% | $79,550 | — |
| 23 | San Jose State University San Jose · public | $13,760 | 77.8% | $78,988 | 84.6% |
| 24 | Saint Mary's College of California Moraga · private | $30,378 | 75.8% | $78,812 | 86.5% |
| 25 | University of the Pacific Stockton · private | $25,447 | 74.7% | $78,445 | 71.3% |
Compare any two: Harvey Mudd College vs California Institute of Technology →
Go deeper on any school
Personalized match scores, the 2026 loan-earnings test, real net price by your income, and 20+ data points per school.
Get Full Access — $249/studentBest Earnings After Graduation in Other States
More California College Rankings
Data from U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS, College Scorecard, Clery Act). Updated annually. Rankings reflect the data as reported — not editorial opinion.