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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Finance Schools in California

15 Colleges in the United States
803 Finance Degrees Awarded
$62,185 Avg Early-Career Salary

Finance programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

College Factual analyzed 23 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best finance schools.

What’s on this page:

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Best Schools for Finance in California

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the finance degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Finance

1

University Of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in finance. This very large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Los Angeles. The six-year graduation rate is 92%. About 23 finance degrees were awarded at University Of Southern California in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, finance degree recipients from University Of Southern California generally make around $75,677. Students borrow a median of $15,625 to complete this degree. Read more about the finance program at University Of Southern California

2
Santa Clara University crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best finance schools. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Santa Clara. Roughly 88% of students complete a degree within six years here. Santa Clara University awarded about 173 finance degrees in the most recent data year. Finance graduates of Santa Clara University earn a median of $79,929 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $16,201 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in finance from Santa Clara University

3

Students looking for a strong finance program will find one at Loyola Marymount University, which ranked #3. Loyola Marymount University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles. The six-year graduation rate is 79%. Loyola Marymount University awarded about 107 finance degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their finance degree from Loyola Marymount University earn around $70,542 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $19,500. See the full finance program report for Loyola Marymount University

4

University Of San Diego is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in finance, landing the #4 spot this year. Set in the city of San Diego, University Of San Diego is a large private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 84%. About 147 finance degrees were awarded at University Of San Diego in the most recent year. Graduates of the finance program make about $64,819 in their early career. University Of San Diego graduates carry a median of $23,508 in student loans. See the full finance program report for University Of San Diego

5

Students looking for a strong finance program will find one at Claremont Mckenna College, which ranked #5. This small private not-for-profit university is located in the suburb of Claremont. The six-year graduation rate is 91%. Claremont Mckenna College awarded about 13 finance degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their finance degree from Claremont Mckenna College earn around $66,028 in the first couple years of their career. Claremont Mckenna College graduates carry a median of $12,000 in student loans. Read more about the finance program at Claremont Mckenna College

6

Pepperdine University came in at #6 for finance this year. Set in the suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine University is a large private not-for-profit institution. About 83% of students finish within six years. About 24 finance degrees were awarded at Pepperdine University in the most recent year. Graduates of the finance program make about $57,582 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $23,645 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in finance from Pepperdine University

7

Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #7 spot for finance this year. Point Loma Nazarene University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego. The six-year graduation rate is 77%. About 10 finance degrees were awarded at Point Loma Nazarene University in the most recent year. Graduates of the finance program make about $54,116 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $22,542 to complete this degree. See the full finance program report for Point Loma Nazarene University

8

University Of California Riverside earned the #8 position for finance this year. Located in the city of Riverside, University Of California Riverside is a very large public university. The six-year graduation rate is 76%. University Of California Riverside awarded about 28 finance degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, finance degree recipients from University Of California Riverside generally make around $40,040. Typical student debt for the program is $19,187. Get the full finance details for University Of California Riverside

9
University Of San Francisco crest
University Of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

University Of San Francisco came in at #9 for finance this year. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of San Francisco. Roughly 70% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 65 finance students who graduated with this degree at University Of San Francisco in the most recent data year. Students who receive their finance degree from University Of San Francisco earn around $64,972 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $24,347 to complete this degree. See the full finance program report for University Of San Francisco

10
Menlo College crest
Menlo College
Atherton, CA

Menlo College came in at #10 for finance this year. This small private not-for-profit university is located in the suburb of Atherton. About 54% of students finish within six years. About 18 finance degrees were awarded at Menlo College in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, finance degree recipients from Menlo College generally make around $69,684. Students borrow a median of $24,500 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in finance from Menlo College

11

California State University Northridge ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best finance schools. California State University Northridge is a very large public school located in the city of Northridge. Roughly 57% of students complete a degree within six years here. California State University Northridge awarded about 16 finance degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, finance degree recipients from California State University Northridge generally make around $48,553. Typical student debt for the program is $14,000. Get the full finance details for California State University Northridge

12

California Baptist University earned the #12 position for finance this year. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Riverside. Roughly 62% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 13 finance degrees were awarded at California Baptist University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, finance degree recipients from California Baptist University generally make around $51,999. Typical student debt for the program is $28,169. Get the full finance details for California Baptist University

13
National University crest
National University
San Diego, CA

National University earned the #13 position for finance this year. This very large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of San Diego. National University graduates 50% of students within six years. About 15 finance degrees were awarded at National University in the most recent year. Students who receive their finance degree from National University earn around $69,080 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $30,426 to complete this degree. Get the full finance details for National University

14
Ashford University crest
Ashford University
San Diego, CA

Ashford University ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the best finance schools. Set in the city of San Diego, Ashford University is a very large private for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 10%. About 151 finance degrees were awarded at Ashford University in the most recent year. Students who receive their finance degree from Ashford University earn around $57,566 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $31,133 to complete this degree. See the full finance program report for Ashford University

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Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 23 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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