Federal data
Highest earning associate's liberal arts programs in California
California liberal arts programs, ranked by median earnings one year after completion, from the College Scorecard field-of-study file (September 18, 2026). Only programs with at least 30 counted graduates in the earnings sample are shown, and at least 5 programs must qualify for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 1 year after | Graduates counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santiago Canyon College | Orange | Public, 2-year | $37,149 | 42 |
| 2 | Los Medanos College | Pittsburg | Public, 2-year | $35,283 | 71 |
| 3 | College of the Desert | Palm Desert | Public, 2-year | $30,417 | 39 |
| 4 | Santa Ana College | Santa Ana | Public, 4-year | $30,117 | 113 |
| 5 | College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita | Public, 2-year | $29,397 | 32 |
| 6 | Modesto Junior College | Modesto | Public, 4-year | $28,387 | 63 |
| 7 | Riverside City College | Riverside | Public, 2-year | $27,524 | 184 |
| 8 | Moreno Valley College | Moreno Valley | Public, 2-year | $24,046 | 40 |
| 9 | Mt San Jacinto Community College District | San Jacinto | Public, 2-year | $23,923 | 47 |
| 10 | College of the Sequoias | Visalia | Public, 2-year | $23,856 | 60 |
| 11 | Coalinga College | Coalinga | Public, 2-year | $23,307 | 115 |
| 12 | Lemoore College | Lemoore | Public, 2-year | $22,918 | 120 |
| 13 | Hartnell College | Salinas | Public, 2-year | $22,681 | 66 |
| 14 | Victor Valley College | Victorville | Public, 2-year | $17,383 | 37 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard.
How to read this. A smaller program can show a high or low figure from just a few graduates, and this earnings figure only ever covers students who received federal aid, so it does not describe every graduate.