Best Colleges For Your Money In San Diego County: Money Magazine

SAN DIEGO – UC San Diego is the ninth-best "college for your money" in the country, according to Money Magazine's annual rankings.

Money looked at 744 universities based on more than 19,000 data points, including graduation rate, tuition cost, average student aid package and early career earnings for graduates to identify the colleges that best combine quality and affordability.

UCSD also ranked sixth among public colleges and fourth among UC schools.

"Being recognized as a 'top value' confirms our longtime strategic efforts to increase access to higher education though affordability," UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said. "UC San Diego is dedicated to opening doors for students of all backgrounds to pursue diverse fields of study and build careers that affect change."

UCSD's estimated in-state tuition for the 2019- 2020 school year with an average financial aid package sits at $15,600 and $33,600 without aid, according to Money, which recently went all digital and is now known as Money.com. Roughly 58 percent of UCSD students receive at least one grant.

Former students graduate with an average of $17,500 of debt and earn an average of $61,300 three years after graduation. UCSD's graduation rate of 85 percent was tied for second-lowest among schools in the top 10.

UC Irvine ranked first on the list, followed by City University of New York, Baruch College; Princeton University; UCLA; and UC Davis.

Here's how Money Magazine ranked universities in San Diego County:

• UC San Diego: ninth
• San Diego State University: 74th
• Cal State San Marcos: 243rd
• University of San Diego: 354th
• Point Loma Nazarene University: 450th

Also see:

• 31 California Schools On Princeton Review's 'Best 385' List

– By City News Service. Kristina Houck/Patch contributed to this report.