College Compass GuideTrue north for every college search.

Every accredited U.S. college

Colleges

Every accredited four-year college, rated on Academic Excellence and Value (what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and student debt), all from federal data.

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Compass Score sorts by outcomes, students and cost together. The other sorts order every college by a different measure.
Ratings
Compass ScoreCompass Score: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges from federal data: outcomes (40%), entering students (40%), cost (15%) and teaching (5%). Choose the lowest grade to show.
ValueValue: what families pay after aid, graduation rate, earnings and debt, from federal data.
Academic ExcellenceAcademic Excellence: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges, from federal data on graduation, retention, test scores, faculty ratio, and spending. It never uses rankings or surveys.
Only Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only the eight Ivy League universities.
Location1
Distance (miles)
A broad region of the country, as the guide groups the states. Territories are listed separately.
School
Type of college, as college guides group them (from the federal Carnegie Classification): national universities offer a full range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs and do research; liberal arts colleges focus on undergraduates in the arts and sciences; regional universities mostly offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees; regional colleges mostly offer bachelor’s degrees in many fields; specialized schools focus on one field, such as health, art or business.
Public or privatePublic: run by a state or local government. Private: nonprofit or for-profit.
Total enrollment: small is under 2,000 students, medium 2,000 to 9,999, large 10,000 to 24,999, and very large 25,000 or more.
Net price: what a typical student pays per year after grants and scholarships, from the federal College Scorecard.
Coed: men and women together. Single-sex: all-male or all-female.
Campus life
College sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.
Where the campus is, from federal data: in a city, a suburb, a town, or a rural area.
The college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).
The college offers study abroad (federal data).
Admissions and outcomes
How many applicants are admitted (federal data). Most: 65% or more. Selective: 25% to 64%. Highly selective: under 25%.
Your SAT or ACT, to sort colleges Target, Likely and Reach. Signed in, it is kept on your account (private to you); otherwise only in this browser.
Reach, Target or LikelyA rough guide from admitted students' scores and admission rates, not a prediction. Target: your score is in the college's middle range. Likely: above it, or the college admits most applicants. Reach: below it, or the college admits fewer than 1 in 5.
Small classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Strong outcomes: 75% or more of students graduate (federal data).
Major
Colleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.
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RecommendedOnly Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.Honor RollOnly Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.ValueOnly colleges with a Value score of 85 or higher (grade A), from federal data.AcademicsOnly schools with an Academic Excellence grade of A or better (the top 10% of rated colleges), from federal data.Ivy LeagueOnly the eight Ivy League universities.Clear
Division I sportsCollege sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.ROTCThe college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).Study abroadThe college offers study abroad (federal data).NursingColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.EngineeringColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.Under $20kNet price under $20,000 a year: what a typical student pays after grants and scholarships (federal data).Small classesSmall classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
State: CaliforniaClear all

206 schools · Sorted by Compass Score

  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Ashford University

    #126 in California
    San Diego, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 32,604 students

    About $31,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Fair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Los Angeles Film School

    #127 in California
    Hollywood, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 5,833 students

    About $31,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Fair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    DeVry University-California

    #128 in California
    Ontario, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 2,119 students

    About $34,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Homestead Schools

    Top 3% for graduation
    Torrance, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 178 students

    About $16,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Excellent
  • Not yet rated

    Lincoln University

    Top 1% for graduation
    Oakland, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 474 students

    Value not rated yetAcademics Excellent
  • Not yet rated

    California Career College

    Top 1% for graduation
    Canoga Park, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 195 students

    About $47,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Excellent
  • Not yet rated

    American Medical Sciences Center

    Top 15% for graduation
    Glendale, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 200 students

    About $22,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value not rated yetAcademics Strong
  • Not yet rated

    Pacific College of Health and Science

    Top 13% for low debt
    San Diego, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 885 students

    About $52,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong
  • Not yet rated

    American Jewish University

    Top 25% for earnings
    Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 209 students

    Value not rated yetAcademics Strong
  • Not yet rated

    Southern California University of Health Sciences

    Top 11% for low debt
    Whittier, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,987 students

    About $46,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Not yet rated

    Platt College-Anaheim

    Anaheim, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 405 students

    About $23,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Not yet rated

    CBD College

    Top 9% for graduation
    Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,408 students

    About $23,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong
  • Not yet rated

    Platt College-Los Angeles

    Alhambra, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 598 students

    About $28,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong
  • Not yet rated

    Smith Chason College

    Top 18% for graduation
    Los Angeles, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 2,221 students

    About $34,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong
  • Not yet rated

    Platt College-Ontario

    Ontario, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 467 students

    About $21,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Not yet rated

    Platt College-Riverside

    Riverside, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 416 students

    About $22,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Not yet rated

    Lionel University

    Top 14% for low debt
    Carpinteria, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 494 students

    About $29,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value not rated yetAcademics Strong
  • Not yet rated

    Foothill College

    Top 9% for low debt
    Los Altos Hills, CA · Public · 4-year · 12,931 students

    About $8,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Antelope Valley Community College District

    Top 2% for low net price
    Lancaster, CA · Public · 4-year · 12,937 students

    About $4,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Cypress College

    Top 4% for low net price
    Cypress, CA · Public · 4-year · 13,992 students

    About $5,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Skyline College

    Top 1% for low net price
    San Bruno, CA · Public · 4-year · 9,428 students

    About $2,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value not rated yetAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Carrington College-Sacramento

    Top 11% for low debt
    Sacramento, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 2,288 students

    About $41,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Santa Monica College

    Top 1% for low net price
    Santa Monica, CA · Public · 4-year · 23,164 students

    About $3,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Modesto Junior College

    Top 1% for low net price
    Modesto, CA · Public · 4-year · 17,152 students

    About $3,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value not rated yetAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Moorpark College

    Top 1% for low net price
    Moorpark, CA · Public · 4-year · 14,091 students

    Free a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Fair

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