Best California Colleges

Ranked list of Colleges and Universities in California for 2023

With its desirable climate, dynamic cities, huge economy and reputation the global leader in technology, California is a highly desirable state for students to choose to attend college. The state is home to world-renowned research universities like Stanford in Silicon Valley and CalTech in Pasadena. The University of California (UC) system has ten campuses serving over a quarter of a million students. The UC system is home to the extremely competitive and rival colleges UCLA and UC Berkeley. The 23 campuses of the CSU system comprise the largest public four-year university system in the US and enroll nearly a half million students per year. Also significant is the California Community Colleges system, the largest of its kind, which serves 2.1 million students through its 2-year programs at 116 colleges. Notable highly rated small liberal arts schools like Pomona, Harvey Mudd and Claremont McKenna also call the Golden State home.

There are 283 colleges and universities in California enrolling 2,319,564 students. Explore the list of top colleges in California below to begin your college search. The CollegeSimply rankings are objective and data-driven in order to help you find good matches for you. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page. Whether you're searching for a good public, private or community college, this guide to universities in California offers a comprehensive view to the state's higher education options.

 California is home to nationally ranked institutions like Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, Claremont McKenna College and Pomona College. The highest ranked college in California is Stanford University and the top rated public state college is University of California Los Angeles.

Local college options can be explored in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco or other cities.


283 results

List of the Best California Colleges

Stanford University
S
Stanford, CA

Stanford University

Private 4 Year

6 reviews

#1 Best Colleges in California

  • 17,680enrollment
  • $20,023net price
  • 4%acceptance rate
  • 1470-1570SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.96Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 3

California Institute of Technology
C
Pasadena, CA

California Institute of Technology

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

#2 Best Colleges in California

  • 2,397enrollment
  • $26,591net price
  • 4%acceptance rate
  • 1530-1580SAT range
  • 35-36ACT range
  • 3.97Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Claremont McKenna College
C
Claremont, CA

Claremont McKenna College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

#3 Best Colleges in California

  • 1,422enrollment
  • $22,004net price
  • 11%acceptance rate
  • 1420-1530SAT range
  • 32-35ACT range
  • 3.89Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 2

Pomona College
P
Claremont, CA

Pomona College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

#4 Best Colleges in California

  • 1,764enrollment
  • $30,392net price
  • 7%acceptance rate
  • 1470-1570SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.89Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Dec 15

University of Southern California
S
Los Angeles, CA

University of Southern California

Private 4 Year

5 reviews

#5 Best Colleges in California

  • 49,318enrollment
  • $39,759net price
  • 13%acceptance rate
  • 1410-1540SAT range
  • 32-35ACT range
  • 3.83Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 10

Scripps College
S
Claremont, CA

Scripps College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

#6 Best Colleges in California

  • 1,116enrollment
  • $40,259net price
  • 30%acceptance rate
  • 1380-1520SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

Santa Clara University
S
Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara University

Private 4 Year

14 reviews

#7 Best Colleges in California

  • 8,918enrollment
  • $48,284net price
  • 54%acceptance rate
  • 1330-1490SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.67Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 7

University of California Los Angeles
C
Los Angeles, CA

University of California Los Angeles

Public 4 Year

3 reviews

#8 Best Colleges in California

  • 46,116enrollment
  • $16,474net price
  • 11%acceptance rate
  • 1300-1530SAT range
  • 29-35ACT range
  • 3.92Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

University of California Berkeley
C
Berkeley, CA

University of California Berkeley

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

#9 Best Colleges in California

  • 45,036enrollment
  • $19,329net price
  • 14%acceptance rate
  • 1310-1530SAT range
  • 30-35ACT range
  • 3.87Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

Loyola Marymount University
L
Los Angeles, CA

Loyola Marymount University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

#10 Best Colleges in California

  • 10,184enrollment
  • $48,758net price
  • 46%acceptance rate
  • 1250-1420SAT range
  • 28-32ACT range
  • 3.92Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Occidental College
O
Los Angeles, CA

Occidental College

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

#11 Best Colleges in California

  • 1,964enrollment
  • $41,102net price
  • 38%acceptance rate
  • 1340-1490SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.63Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

University of California San Diego
C
La Jolla, CA

University of California San Diego

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

#12 Best Colleges in California

  • 41,885enrollment
  • $15,222net price
  • 34%acceptance rate
  • 1270-1480SAT range
  • 28-34ACT range
  • 3.82Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

University of California Irvine
C
Irvine, CA

University of California Irvine

Public 4 Year

2 reviews

#13 Best Colleges in California

  • 36,505enrollment
  • $13,106net price
  • 29%acceptance rate
  • 1230-1430SAT range
  • 26-33ACT range
  • 3.75Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

University of California Davis
C
Davis, CA

University of California Davis

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

#14 Best Colleges in California

  • 40,050enrollment
  • $17,026net price
  • 49%acceptance rate
  • 1160-1400SAT range
  • 25-33ACT range
  • 4.0Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

Chapman University
C
Orange, CA

Chapman University

Private 4 Year

5 reviews

#15 Best Colleges in California

  • 9,991enrollment
  • $44,327net price
  • 60%acceptance rate
  • 1210-1410SAT range
  • 26-31ACT range
  • 3.7Avg GPA

Applications Due Mar 1

University of California Santa Barbara
C
Santa Barbara, CA

University of California Santa Barbara

Public 4 Year

3 reviews

#16 Best Colleges in California

  • 26,124enrollment
  • $17,223net price
  • 29%acceptance rate
  • 1230-1460SAT range
  • 28-34ACT range
  • 3.82Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

University of the Pacific
T
Stockton, CA

University of the Pacific

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

#17 Best Colleges in California

  • 6,066enrollment
  • $32,780net price
  • 79%acceptance rate
  • 1120-1380SAT range
  • 24-32ACT range
  • 3.58Avg GPA

Pepperdine University
P
Malibu, CA

Pepperdine University

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

#18 Best Colleges in California

  • 10,446enrollment
  • $46,550net price
  • 53%acceptance rate
  • 1260-1440SAT range
  • 25-30ACT range
  • 3.74Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5