2026 Best Value Educational Psychology Schools in California
[Educational Psychology](/majors/psychology/clinical-counseling-applied-psychology/educational-psychology/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 8 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for educational psychology students.
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2026 Best Value Educational Psychology Schools in California
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in educational psychology, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Educational Psychology Schools
Leading the list is University Of The Pacific, our #1 best value for educational psychology in California. Set in the city of Stockton, University Of The Pacific is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $57,080. Students borrow a median of $23,514 to complete the educational psychology program here. Educational Psychology graduates of University Of The Pacific earn a median of $79,628 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of The Pacific admits about 71% of applicants.
La Sierra University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value educational psychology schools. Located in the city of Riverside, La Sierra University is a small private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $37,710. Students borrow a median of $29,507 to complete the educational psychology program here. Educational Psychology graduates of La Sierra University earn a median of $83,990 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 92%.
A rank of #3 makes California Baptist University one of the best values for educational psychology. Located in the city of Riverside, California Baptist University is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $41,228. Typical student debt for educational psychology graduates is $28,169. Educational Psychology graduates of California Baptist University earn a median of $51,999 early in their careers. Set against $28,169 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 85% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #4 makes Loyola Marymount University one of the best values for educational psychology. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University is a large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $61,867 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for educational psychology graduates is $22,248. Educational Psychology graduates of Loyola Marymount University earn a median of $84,853 early in their careers. Set against $22,248 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 45% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 8 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
