Best Public Administration Degrees in California by ROI

Colleges in California ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment — calculated from median graduate earnings, total attendance cost, and average student debt. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Programs in California

17

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

+$501,784

Across California programs

Average Annual Cost

$37,688

Cost of attendance

# College 20-Yr Net ROI Median Salary Annual Cost Avg Debt
1 Notre Dame de Namur University

Grad rate: 39.2%

 +$960,980 $90,049 N/A N/A Full ROI →
2 University of San Francisco

Grad rate: 72.8%

 +$926,098 $95,947 $76,421 N/A Full ROI →
3 San Francisco State University

Grad rate: 52.2%

 +$817,724 $85,412 $25,258 N/A Full ROI →
4 National University

Grad rate: 44.0%

 +$626,748 $77,049 $37,116 N/A Full ROI →
5 California State University-East Bay

Grad rate: 45.5%

 +$596,494 $74,105 $22,803 N/A Full ROI →
6 California State University-Northridge

Grad rate: 56.1%

 +$574,806 $72,772 $20,317 N/A Full ROI →
7 University of Southern California

Grad rate: 92.2%

 +$569,904 $78,963 $84,678 N/A Full ROI →
8 University of La Verne

Grad rate: 64.4%

 +$532,992 $74,806 $61,564 N/A Full ROI →
9 California Baptist University

Grad rate: 61.2%

 +$492,304 $71,856 $52,408 N/A Full ROI →
10 California State University-Long Beach

Grad rate: 71.3%

 +$467,180 $67,390 $20,310 N/A Full ROI →
11 California State University-San Bernardino

Grad rate: 54.5%

 +$454,760 $66,429 $16,910 N/A Full ROI →
12 Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey +$385,100 $61,255 N/A N/A Full ROI →
13 California State University-Dominguez Hills

Grad rate: 46.7%

 +$377,662 $62,428 $15,449 N/A Full ROI →
14 California State University-Bakersfield

Grad rate: 49.5%

 +$331,850 $60,474 $18,815 N/A Full ROI →
15 California State University-Fresno

Grad rate: 55.5%

 +$274,860 $57,608 $18,650 N/A Full ROI →

How ROI is calculated

20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost (annual cost × programme years) − Debt Payoff (avg debt × 1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20 = $840,000)

A positive ROI means a degree in this field pays off relative to entering the workforce without one. Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.

Find Best Public Administration Degrees by State

Browse Public Administration programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.

Alabama Best Public Administration → Arizona Best Public Administration → Arkansas Best Public Administration → California Current state Colorado Best Public Administration → Connecticut Best Public Administration → Delaware Best Public Administration → Florida Best Public Administration → Georgia Best Public Administration → Hawaii Best Public Administration → Idaho Best Public Administration → Illinois Best Public Administration → Indiana Best Public Administration → Iowa Best Public Administration → Kansas Best Public Administration → Kentucky Best Public Administration → Louisiana Best Public Administration → Maryland Best Public Administration → Massachusetts Best Public Administration → Michigan Best Public Administration → Minnesota Best Public Administration → Mississippi Best Public Administration → Missouri Best Public Administration → Montana Best Public Administration → Nebraska Best Public Administration → Nevada Best Public Administration → New Hampshire Best Public Administration → New Jersey Best Public Administration → New Mexico Best Public Administration → New York Best Public Administration → North Carolina Best Public Administration → Ohio Best Public Administration → Oklahoma Best Public Administration → Oregon Best Public Administration → Pennsylvania Best Public Administration → Rhode Island Best Public Administration → South Carolina Best Public Administration → South Dakota Best Public Administration → Tennessee Best Public Administration → Texas Best Public Administration → Utah Best Public Administration → Vermont Best Public Administration → Virginia Best Public Administration → Washington Best Public Administration → West Virginia Best Public Administration →