California has two state university systems: California State Universities, and Universities of California. The University of California (UC) system includes nationally ranked schools in Los Angeles, Berkeley, and Davis. However, the state's educational offerings go beyond brick-and-mortar institutions. Online learning is growing faster than ever in California, with the state's community colleges leading the way. As the largest higher education system in the United States, California Community Colleges enrolls 2.1 million students in its 114 schools. The school system will soon add an entirely online community college, in an attempt to help the 2.5 million adults in California who are unable to attend college in-person. California Gov. Jerry Brown's 2018-19 budget plan devoted $120 million to the online community college, which will enroll its first students by late 2019.
This guide provides an introduction to online education in California, including the state's best and most affordable online colleges. It also includes information on higher education tuition, scholarship and financial aid opportunities, and job outlooks for graduates.
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Overview of Online Colleges in California
A Brief Overview of Higher Education in California
California has more colleges and universities than any other state in the country. In the 2015-16 school year, the state's 448 schools composed nearly 10% of all degree-granting, postsecondary institutions in the United States, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The NCES breaks down higher education institutions into three categories: public, nonprofit, and for-profit. California has an even distribution of the three, including 150 public schools, 148 nonprofits, and 150 for-profit universities. These institutions enrolled 2.7 million students in 2016 — the highest student enrollment of any state in the nation, according to the NCES.Tuition and fees at California's four-year public schools are comparable to most other state school systems. During the 2017-18 school year, California's in-state students paid $9,680 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students paid $32,590, according to data from the College Board. That same year, in-state students at the University of California's flagship institution, UC Berkeley, paid $13,928 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students paid $41,942.Students attending online schools in California have several different grant and aid options. In the 2015-16 academic year, the state's primary need-based grant program awarded students more than $1.85 billion, according to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP). Other need-based grants provided more than $44.2 million in aid that year. The state also awards grants to students not in need. According to the NASSGAP, the California National Guard Education Assistance Award Program gave about $2.45 million to nearly 400 recipients in the 2015-16 school year.
Higher Education in California
Featured Online Programs
The State of Online Higher Education in California
Online higher education was slow to gain traction in California at first, but has picked up steam in recent years. The Babson Survey Research Group's 2017 Distance Education State Almanac found that 9% of undergraduate and graduate students in California's degree-granting higher education institutions were enrolled in fully online programs in 2015. At the same time, 23% of California's students took at least one distance class in fall 2015, an 18% increase from the fall of 2012.The California Community Colleges system aims to increase its student population taking online courses, and it plans to do so through California's Online Education Initiative (OEI). The OEI improves student access to online education by providing community colleges with resources to develop online courses. California Community Colleges has worked in recent years to improve online learning programs, after a 2015 UC Davis study found that students enrolled in online classes between 2008 and 2012 had lower grades and course completion rates than their on-campus counterparts. Since introducing more resources, including online student counseling and tutoring, performance has improved. About two-thirds of online students finished their classes in the 2015-16 school year, when only about half that number did so a decade prio. Additionally, the number of community college students who enroll in online courses has doubled in the past decade: Now, around one in three students takes at least one online class.Students evaluating online schools in California can expect an increase in online learning opportunities in the coming years. The OEI announced in June 2018 that it increased the number of colleges in its consortium from 23 to 56. This means nearly half of all California community colleges have expanded, or are in the process of expanding, their online program offerings, allowing more students to take advantage of distance learning.
Tuition Breaks for Out-of-State Students
High out-of-state costs for California universities may be off-putting to some students, but many students who are not California residents qualify for tuition breaks, thanks to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). The WICHE is a nonprofit organization that facilitates resource-sharing among higher education institutions in 16 western states, including California.The WICHE coordinates the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) and the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), which allow students from member states and U.S. territories to attend schools outside their home states without having to pay out-of-state tuition. The WUE allows undergraduates to attend any of the 150 participating two- and four-year public schools for 150% of resident tuition. The WRGP includes more than 400 graduate programs at 60 public institutions, and allows out-of-state students to pay resident tuition. The WICHE estimates that graduate students saved $24.1 million and undergraduate students saved more than $365.4 million in tuition from these programs in the 2017-18 school year. These states and U.S. territories are part of the WICHE
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- South Dakota
- Utah
- Washington
- Wyoming
- Guam
- The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Best Online Colleges in California
Below, you will find our rankings of the best online four-year programs in California. Our profiles look at how schools approach online education and then list out their services for distance students and their popular, fully online degrees. After reviewing the best online schools in California, explore our state resources, like a database of every college and university in California or our index of popular in-state scholarships.
Ranking Methodology
To determine the best online colleges in each state, we examined the factors most important to prospective students: Academic quality and reputation, online program strength, and cost and student aid. At the most basic level, we use the following formula to determine the best online colleges: Academic Quality + Online Offerings + Cost and Student Aid = Final Score. Of course, there's more to these calculations than meets the eye. Visit our methodology page to discover the data points that shape our formula and to learn more about the process we use to rank schools.
Most Affordable Online Colleges in California
Below you'll find a list of online colleges in California sorted by lowest tuition rates.
Affordability Methodology
Our list of the most affordable online colleges is based on in-state yearly tuition, or annual tuition rates if a school does not differentiate between in-state and out-of-state students. Tuition rates are based on a full course load each semester or term. All colleges on the list offer at least one bachelor's degree completion program available entirely online.The online schools in California with the lowest tuition are ranked highest, providing prospective students with a true list of the most affordable online colleges in their state.
College Graduate Outlook in California
Job Outlook for College Graduates in California
After earning their degree from online colleges in California, students may qualify for many different job opportunities there. California is a large and populous state, and a major job supplier: it employed nearly 16.7 million workers in May 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The state had a 4.2% unemployment rate in May 2018, which is slightly higher than the 3.8% national average. California jobs tend to pay well, too, with California's mean annual salary reaching $57,190 in May of 2017.Graduates starting a career in the personal care and service industry might have the best chances of finding a job in California. According to the BLS and the California Employment Development Department, this industry experienced a 47% employment growth from May 2011 to May 2016 — the highest employment growth in the state during that time. Personal care aides represented the fastest-growing occupation in the personal care and service industry. California's construction and extraction industry grew the second-fastest in that time period (31%), with carpentry being the fastest-growing job in that industry.Computer and mathematical occupations marked the third fastest-growing industry in California from 2011 to 2016. In 2017, software developers composed the largest portion of these workers, according to the BLS. Business and financial operations came in fourth place, with business operations specialists occupying most of the field. Food preparation and service-related occupations came in fifth place, with food preparation service workers populating most of the industry.May 2011 EmploymentMay 2016 EmploymentPercent ChangeAnnual Mean WagePersonal Care and Service Occupations377,720496,50047.0%$28,810Construction and Extraction Occupations458,240601,68031.3%$58,010Computer and Mathematical Occupations447,600580,04029.6%$105,380Business and Financial Occupations754,430938,33024.4%$83,500Food Preparation and Serving-Related Occupations1,246,7201,506,48020.8%$28,270Source: California Employment Development Department/BLS