Eight University of California campuses are among The Princeton Review’s 2027 Best Value Colleges, because a top-tier education shouldn’t require a top-tier budget.
UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz made the 209-school list, which evaluates undergraduate universities on academics, affordability and career outcomes. Several UC campuses made additional value-based sub-lists, including six UCs among the top 20 public schools for career placement — a full 30 percent of the very top.
Why it matters: When you invest in a college education, you want to know it’s worth it. Princeton Review draws on more than 40 data points to assess the cost of a college education versus what students receive.
The verdict: A UC education is a strong return on investment, combining quality and affordability. 63 percent of UC California resident students graduate without debt, and graduates more than double their earnings within 10 years.
Dive deeper:
To create its Best Value Colleges list and related sub-lists, Princeton Review developed a Return on Investment (ROI) rating that includes:
Academics: Institutional data on admissions and academic selectivity, including SAT/ACT scores and high school GPAs, combined with student assessments of teaching and faculty accessibility;
Financial aid: Need-based aid reported by institutions as well as students’ assessments of their financial aid packages;
Cost: A college’s published cost of attendance minus average scholarships and grants;
Outcomes: Graduation rates, student debt and alumni career and salary information, including federal data from the College Scorecard.
Each campus among the Best Value Colleges has a high return on investment, but six UC campuses are highlighted among the Top 50 Best Value Colleges (Public Schools), which ranks schools by their exact ROI rating described above.
Top 50 Best Value Colleges (public schools) rankings by campus
| Campus | Ranking |
|---|---|
| UC Irvine | 4 |
| UC Berkeley | 6 |
| UC San Diego | 7 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 15 |
| UCLA | 21 |
| UC Davis | 26 |
Six UCs are also among the top 20 public schools for career placement, based on students’ ratings of career services at their school and salary information for alumni.
Top 20 public schools for career placement rankings by campus
| Campus | Ranking |
|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | 2 |
| UC San Diego | 9 |
| UCLA | 11 |
| UC Irvine | 15 |
| UC Davis | 18 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 20 |
Three UCs were highlighted as best for financial aid among all public universities.
Top 20 public schools for financial aid rankings by campus
| Campus | Ranking |
|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | 10 |
| UC Riverside | 14 |
| UC San Diego | 20 |
And two UCs stood out as Best Value Colleges for Making an Impact, a ranking drawn from student ratings and responses to survey questions covering community service opportunities at their school, student government, sustainability efforts and on-campus student engagement.
Top 20 public schools for making an impact rankings by campus
| Campus | Ranking |
|---|---|
| UC Davis | 3 |
| UC Riverside | 7 |
UCLA was also acknowledged as having one of the best alumni networks of any public school.
This is the 22nd edition of Best Value Colleges by The Princeton Review, a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admissions services company. For more information on methodology and to see the full lists, visit The Princeton Review website below.
