Federal data
Highest earning master's education programs in California
California education 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 | California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos | Public, 4-year | $77,823 | 84 |
| 2 | California State University-Sacramento | Sacramento | Public, 4-year | $77,526 | 48 |
| 3 | University of Massachusetts Global | Aliso Viejo | Public, 4-year | $75,971 | 164 |
| 4 | University of San Diego | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $73,028 | 118 |
| 5 | Stanford University | Stanford | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $71,967 | 161 |
| 6 | California State University-Stanislaus | Turlock | Public, 4-year | $71,800 | 110 |
| 7 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | Pomona | Public, 4-year | $70,724 | 37 |
| 8 | California State University-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public, 4-year | $69,882 | 51 |
| 9 | California State University-Monterey Bay | Seaside | Public, 4-year | $68,140 | 68 |
| 10 | California State University-Dominguez Hills | Carson | Public, 4-year | $68,117 | 96 |
| 11 | California Baptist University | Riverside | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $67,260 | 368 |
| 12 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public, 4-year | $65,425 | 40 |
| 13 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $63,794 | 580 |
| 14 | University of California-Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | Public, 4-year | $63,765 | 100 |
| 15 | Whittier College | Whittier | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $63,486 | 30 |
| 16 | National University | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $62,683 | 1,136 |
| 17 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $62,201 | 148 |
| 18 | University of California-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public, 4-year | $61,708 | 196 |
| 19 | Point Loma Nazarene University | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $61,550 | 217 |
| 20 | University of California-Riverside | Riverside | Public, 4-year | $61,108 | 205 |
| 21 | University of California-San Diego | La Jolla | Public, 4-year | $61,100 | 92 |
| 22 | Biola University | La Mirada | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $59,817 | 43 |
| 23 | University of California-Davis | Davis | Public, 4-year | $59,285 | 133 |
| 24 | Mount Saint Mary's University | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $57,123 | 33 |
| 25 | California State University-Fresno | Fresno | Public, 4-year | $56,649 | 74 |
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.