Federal data
Highest earning 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 | Saint Mary's College of California | Moraga | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $56,094 | 44 |
| 2 | Ashford University | San Diego | For-profit, 4-year | $49,010 | 38 |
| 3 | Antioch University | Culver City | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $46,487 | 51 |
| 4 | Sonoma State University | Rohnert Park | Public, 4-year | $39,758 | 102 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Pacific University | San Dimas | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $37,985 | 101 |
| 6 | University of Massachusetts Global | Aliso Viejo | Public, 4-year | $36,875 | 85 |
| 7 | California State University-East Bay | Hayward | Public, 4-year | $36,509 | 54 |
| 8 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $35,194 | 31 |
| 9 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo | Public, 4-year | $35,056 | 46 |
| 10 | California Baptist University | Riverside | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $33,793 | 37 |
| 11 | California State University-Dominguez Hills | Carson | Public, 4-year | $33,588 | 86 |
| 12 | Thomas Aquinas College | Santa Paula | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $33,432 | 106 |
| 13 | California State University-Northridge | Northridge | Public, 4-year | $33,324 | 305 |
| 14 | Providence Christian College | Pasadena | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $32,598 | 44 |
| 15 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public, 4-year | $32,112 | 113 |
| 16 | California State University-Long Beach | Long Beach | Public, 4-year | $31,802 | 189 |
| 17 | California State University-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public, 4-year | $30,824 | 166 |
| 18 | California State University-Monterey Bay | Seaside | Public, 4-year | $30,413 | 220 |
| 19 | California State University-Sacramento | Sacramento | Public, 4-year | $30,286 | 99 |
| 20 | California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos | Public, 4-year | $29,341 | 64 |
| 21 | California State University-Stanislaus | Turlock | Public, 4-year | $29,148 | 84 |
| 22 | California State University-Channel Islands | Camarillo | Public, 4-year | $28,324 | 55 |
| 23 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | Arcata | Public, 4-year | $27,303 | 80 |
| 24 | California State University-Chico | Chico | Public, 4-year | $27,196 | 90 |
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.
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