Best Colleges in California by Salary Potential
California has more colleges and universities than any other state. Find out which schools are the state’s best four-year colleges by earning potential.
| Rank | School Name | School Type | Early Career Pay | Mid-Career Pay | % High Meaning | % STEM Degrees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:1 | School Name: Harvey Mudd College | School Type:Engineering, Liberal Arts School, Private School | Early Career Pay:$110,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$179,600 | % High Meaning:58% | % STEM Degrees:79% |
| Rank:2 | School Name: Stanford University | School Type:Engineering, Private School, Research University, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$98,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$177,500 | % High Meaning:57% | % STEM Degrees:52% |
| Rank:3 | School Name: Santa Clara University | School Type:Private School, Religious, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$87,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$173,100 | % High Meaning:45% | % STEM Degrees:23% |
| Rank:4 | School Name:_50px.png) California Institute of Technology | School Type:Engineering, Private School, Research University | Early Career Pay:$105,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$168,600 | % High Meaning:50% | % STEM Degrees:98% |
| Rank:5 | School Name: Claremont McKenna College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School | Early Career Pay:$86,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$167,000 | % High Meaning:53% | % STEM Degrees:22% |
| Rank:5 | School Name: University of California-Berkeley | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$88,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$167,000 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:43% |
| Rank:7 | School Name: California State University Maritime Academy | School Type:State School | Early Career Pay:$82,600 | Mid-Career Pay:$156,200 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:12% |
| Rank:8 | School Name: Samuel Merritt University | School Type:Private School | Early Career Pay:$112,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$152,000 | % High Meaning:- | % STEM Degrees:0% |
| Rank:9 | School Name:_50px.png) University of California-San Diego | School Type:Engineering, Research University, State School | Early Career Pay:$79,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$151,500 | % High Meaning:54% | % STEM Degrees:54% |
| Rank:10 | School Name:_50px.png) University of Southern California | School Type:Private School, Research University, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$80,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$150,100 | % High Meaning:47% | % STEM Degrees:25% |
| Rank:11 | School Name: - San Luis Obispo_50px.png) California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | School Type:For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$80,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$148,600 | % High Meaning:50% | % STEM Degrees:36% |
| Rank:11 | School Name:_50px.png) University of California-Santa Barbara | School Type:Party School, Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$72,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$148,600 | % High Meaning:48% | % STEM Degrees:31% |
| Rank:13 | School Name:_50px.jpg) University of California-Irvine | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$74,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$148,400 | % High Meaning:51% | % STEM Degrees:37% |
| Rank:14 | School Name: Saint Mary's College of California | School Type:Private School, Religious, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$72,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$144,600 | % High Meaning:55% | % STEM Degrees:7% |
| Rank:15 | School Name:_50px.jpg) University of California-Los Angeles | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$76,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$144,400 | % High Meaning:50% | % STEM Degrees:34% |
| Rank:16 | School Name: Loyola Marymount University | School Type:Private School, Religious, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$72,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$144,000 | % High Meaning:40% | % STEM Degrees:10% |
| Rank:17 | School Name:_50px.jpg) University of California-Davis | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$76,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$142,700 | % High Meaning:52% | % STEM Degrees:36% |
| Rank:18 | School Name: Occidental College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School | Early Career Pay:$69,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$141,100 | % High Meaning:50% | % STEM Degrees:22% |
| Rank:19 | School Name:_50px.jpg) University of San Diego | School Type:Private School, Religious, Research University, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$73,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$139,000 | % High Meaning:48% | % STEM Degrees:15% |
| Rank:20 | School Name: Pomona College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School | Early Career Pay:$81,600 | Mid-Career Pay:$138,900 | % High Meaning:54% | % STEM Degrees:36% |
| Rank:21 | School Name:_50px.jpg) San Jose State University | School Type:For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$79,100 | Mid-Career Pay:$137,200 | % High Meaning:53% | % STEM Degrees:26% |
| Rank:22 | School Name:Menlo College | School Type:Business, Private School | Early Career Pay:$75,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$135,000 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:0% |
| Rank:23 | School Name: California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | School Type:State School | Early Career Pay:$71,100 | Mid-Career Pay:$133,900 | % High Meaning:50% | % STEM Degrees:29% |
| Rank:24 | School Name: Westmont College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$65,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$133,600 | % High Meaning:55% | % STEM Degrees:17% |
| Rank:24 | School Name:_50px.png) University of San Francisco | School Type:Private School, Religious, Research University, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$73,600 | Mid-Career Pay:$133,600 | % High Meaning:55% | % STEM Degrees:12% |
Wondering how to choose the best colleges in California by alumni salary? This list provides data on several of the best four-year colleges by earning potential in California. Selecting a school in the Golden State means plenty of options, as there are nearly 200 colleges to choose from.
Almost every year, alumni of Harvey Mudd College are among the highest-paid college graduates in the state. (Harvey Mudd has had bragging rights to the highest alumni salaries in the country for the past several years, too.) Another California tech powerhouse for early and mid-career salaries is the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
When ranking by early career salary, you might be surprised to find out that Loma Linda University beats some more well-known schools on our list. Loma Linda grants mostly medical degrees and produces lots of nurses, so those who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Loma Linda are popular hires and see high salaries right away.
The two colleges with the most STEM degrees granted are the mostly-male Coleman University and Caltech, both with roughly 90 percent STEM degrees. For students looking for mentorship and personal attention, both Caltech and Loma Linda University boast extraordinarily low student-to-faculty ratios of one faculty member to every three students. Each of these schools have very specific focuses – Loma Linda offers hands-on medical training to students interested in becoming medical professionals, while CalTech is famous for its scientific and engineering pursuits.
The University of California, San Diego grants the largest share of STEM degrees of any public school. About fifty percent of UCSD students major in a science, technology, engineering or math subject.
California is home to some of the most famous and well-regarded public universities in the nation. The University of California, Berkeley; UC San Diego; and California State University San Louis Obispo. California State University, Northridge is the biggest school in California.
California has one of the most famous coastlines in the United States, and is home to plenty of colleges with easy beach access. But that doesn’t mean that students surf more than they study — alumni of UCSD, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, Pepperdine University and San Diego State University all earn a comfortable median mid-career salary and have beautiful, beachside campuses.