Best Schools in California By Salary Potential

You're sure to have fun in the warm California sun, and earn a valuable diploma from one of California's many top schools. But, when you're deciding between Pomona, Cal-Poly and Berkeley, it's good to know which school can get you the degree you want and the best shot at a well-paid job after graduation. Check out PayScale's ranking of California schools by salary potential.


	Methodology Annual pay for Bachelors graduates without higher degrees. Typical starting graduates have 2 years of experience; mid-career have 15 years. See full methodology for more.

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Best Schools in California By Salary Potential - Full List
California Schools	Starting Median Salary	Mid-Career Median Salary

Harvey Mudd College	$71,000	$125,000

Stanford University	$67,500	$124,000

California Institute of Technology (CIT)	$69,700	$115,000

University of California, Berkeley	$57,100	$112,000

Santa Clara University	$58,000	$111,000

University of California, San Diego (UCSD)	$50,700	$103,000

University of Southern California (USC)	$54,600	$103,000

Claremont McKenna College	$58,300	$102,000

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (CalPoly)	$57,000	$102,000

University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)	$49,700	$98,400

Pomona College	$50,500	$97,500

University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)	$51,600	$97,000

San Jose State University (SJSU)	$53,400	$96,300

Occidental College	$45,300	$95,700

University of California, Davis (UC Davis)	$51,200	$95,400

Loyola Marymount University	$43,500	$95,400

University of San Francisco (USF)	$51,700	$94,100

University of California, Irvine (UCI)	$47,600	$92,700

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona	$51,600	$92,400

Pepperdine University	$50,000	$90,600

Saint Mary's College of California	$49,100	$89,600

California State University (CSU), Chico	$47,700	$89,300

University of Redlands	$47,700	$89,200

University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC)	$44,200	$88,500

Loma Linda University	$71,400	$88,500

California State University, Sacramento (CSUS)	$47,500	$86,500

University of California, Riverside (UCR)	$44,600	$85,700

California State University, Fullerton (CSUF)	$44,900	$83,900

University of San Diego (USD)	$45,300	$83,800

San Francisco State University (SFSU)	$47,400	$83,300

California State University, East Bay (CSUEB)	$48,500	$82,900

California State University (CSU), Fresno (Fresno State)	$45,600	$82,800

San Diego State University (SDSU)	$46,700	$82,800

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB)	$46,200	$82,700

Chapman University	$42,000	$81,600

Art Center College of Design	$50,700	$81,100

California State University, Northridge (CSUN)	$45,700	$79,500

California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA)	$44,900	$77,600

Humboldt State University	$43,300	$77,000

Sonoma State University	$44,200	$75,600

National University	$50,000	$75,500

California State University (CSU), Stanislaus	$40,800	$74,900

California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH)	$44,300	$73,700

California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB)	$42,700	$71,900

Concordia University	$41,700	$71,800

California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB)	$44,900	$68,500

Biola University	$38,100	$67,900

Azusa Pacific University	$39,100	$64,200

Methodology
This chart is based upon PayScale Salary Survey data for Bachelors graduates without higher degrees who are full-time employees in the United States. These results may not represent all attendees of these colleges. Salary is the sum of compensation from base salary, bonuses, profit sharing, commissions, and overtime, if applicable, but does not include equity (stock) compensation. See full methodology for more.