Find Healthcare Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

27 Colleges
$6,331 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$48,382 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science School for You

In 2020-2021, 331 degrees and certificates were awarded to clinical/medical laboratory science students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #17 most popular major in the state.

Today's healthcare students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 27 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for clinical laboratory science students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Schools in California

Check out the clinical laboratory science programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Schools

#1

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA
$1,338 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Cuesta College to be the best value school for clinical/medical laboratory science students who want to pursue a degree in California. Cuesta College is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cuesta College are $1,338 a year.

Cuesta College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Schools in California list.

Full Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science at Cuesta College Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Mt. San Antonio College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Walnut, Mt. SAC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mt. SAC are $1,352 per year.

Read full report on Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science at Mt. San Antonio College

#3

Cabrillo College

Aptos, CA
$1,262 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cabrillo College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Schools in California list. Located in the midsize suburb of Aptos, Cabrillo College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cabrillo College are $1,262 a year.

Full Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science at Cabrillo College Report

#4

College of the Canyons

Santa Clarita, CA
$1,146 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at College of the Canyons helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best clinical/medical laboratory science schools in California. Located in the suburb of Santa Clarita, College of the Canyons is a public college with a large student population.

College of the Canyons undergraduate students pay an average of $1,146 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science at College of the Canyons

#5

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA
$1,430 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bakersfield College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Schools in California list. Located in the city of Bakersfield, Bakersfield College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Bakersfield College are $1,430 a year.

Full Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science at Bakersfield College Report

#6

Saddleback College

Mission Viejo, CA
$1,332 Average Tuition & Fees

Saddleback College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value clinical/medical laboratory science programs. Saddleback College is a large public school located in the suburb of Mission Viejo.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Saddleback College are $1,332 a year.

Read More…

#7

Rio Hondo College

Whittier, CA
$1,360 Average Tuition & Fees

Rio Hondo College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value clinical/medical laboratory science programs. Located in the large suburb of Whittier, RHCCD is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at RHCCD are $1,360 a year.

Read full report on Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science at Rio Hondo College

#8

Grossmont College

El Cajon, CA
$1,332 Average Tuition & Fees

Grossmont College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value clinical/medical laboratory science programs. Located in the large suburb of El Cajon, Grossmont College is a public college with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Grossmont College are $1,332 per year.

Read More…

#9

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$7,304 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, San Francisco State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for clinical/medical laboratory science students. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Francisco.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SFSU are $7,304 a year.

Read More…

$14,645 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Davis did quite well on this year’s best value schools for clinical/medical laboratory science students. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a very large student population.

UC Davis undergraduate students pay an average of $14,645 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UC Davis also is in the top 20% of our Best Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Schools in California ranking.

Read More…

Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Oregon 74
Washington 53
Nevada 18
Hawaii 11
Alaska 10

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science is one of 30 different types of healthcare programs to choose from.

Clinical Laboratory Science Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist 7,599
Laboratory Technician 4,185
Laboratory Sciences & Medical Technology 3,912
Sterile Processing Technology/Technician 1,108
Other Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions 982
Blood Bank Technology Specialist 280
Histologic Technician 243
Renal/Dialysis Technologist/Technician 220
Histologic Technology/Histotechnologist 106
Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist 101
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician 78
Cytogenetics/Genetics/Clinical Genetics Technology/Technologist 46
Hematology Technology 41

Related Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 322,592
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274
Allied Health Professions 82,308

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 27 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Staff Sgt. Jerilyn Quintanilla.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Healthcare Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited healthcare schools across the U.S.