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Best Value Information Technology Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Information Technology Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

17 Colleges
$26,825 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$44,999 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Information Technology School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, information technology was ranked 3rd in California. In fact, 1,160 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for computer science students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Value Information Technology Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Computer Science Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 17 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for IT students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Information Technology Schools in California

Check out the IT programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Information Technology Schools

$9,552 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of Phoenix - California the best value school in California for information technology students. Located in the medium-sized city of Costa Mesa, UOPX - California is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UOPX - California are $9,552 a year. IT majors at UOPX - California take out an average of $29,534 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Information Technology at University of Phoenix - California Report

$14,700 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Information Technology Schools in California list. UCSD is a very large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.

UCSD undergraduate students pay an average of $14,700 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UCSD also took the #4 spot in our Best Information Technology Schools in California rankings.

Read More…

#3

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
$8,136 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 17 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.

SDSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,136 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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$7,727 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - San Marcos. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Information Technology Schools in California list. CSUSM is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Marcos.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUSM are $7,727 per year.

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$14,070 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Information Technology Schools in California list. UC Santa Cruz is a large public school located in the small city of Santa Cruz.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz are $14,070 a year. After completing their degree, IT graduates from UC Santa Cruz carry an average student debtload of $19,250.

Read full report on Information Technology at University of California - Santa Cruz

#6

National University

La Jolla, CA
$13,320 Average Tuition & Fees

National University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Information Technology Schools in California list. National University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of La Jolla.

National University undergraduate students pay an average of $13,320 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, IT graduates from National University take out $25,094 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$37,018 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, California Baptist University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for information technology students. Located in the large city of Riverside, Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Baptist are $37,018 a year.

Read full report on Information Technology at California Baptist University

$7,060 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Information Technology Schools in California ranking. Located in the small city of Carson, CSUDH is a public school with a fairly large student population.

CSUDH undergraduate students pay an average of $7,060 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Information Technology at California State University - Dominguez Hills Report

$19,190 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern California Institute of Technology landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value information technology programs. Southern California Institute of Technology is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Anaheim.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Southern California Institute of Technology are $19,190 a year. IT majors at Southern California Institute of Technology take out an average of $9,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Information Technology at Southern California Institute of Technology Report

#10

University of San Diego

San Diego, CA
$52,864 Average Tuition & Fees

University of San Diego landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value information technology programs. Located in the city of San Diego, USD is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at USD are $52,864 a year.

Read full report on Information Technology at University of San Diego

Best Value Information Technology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Information Technology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 815
Oregon 140
Nevada 81
Hawaii 6
Alaska 16

One of 10 majors within the computer science area of study, information technology has other similar majors worth exploring.

IT Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Computer & IS Security 22,829
Network & System Administration/Administrator 5,501
Information Technology Management 4,009
Computer Support Specialist 3,176
System, Networking, & LAN/WAN Management/Manager 2,077
Information Technology Project Management 2,076
Web/Multimedia Management & Webmaster 887

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer Information Systems 88,434
Computer Science 59,565
Information Science 18,325
Computer Systems Networking 14,700
Computer Software & Applications 14,336

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 17 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Craig Dennis.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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