Best California Colleges

Ranking top Colleges and Universities in California for 2021

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 280 colleges and universities in California enrolling 2,560,541 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, Pomona College and Claremont McKenna 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.

California Public Private For-Profit 4 year 2 year

280 results found

List of the Best California Colleges

Stanford University
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S
Stanford, CA
Stanford University

Private 4 Year

6 reviews

#1 Best Colleges in California

  • 17,381enrollment
  • $16,779net price
  • 4%acceptance rate
  • 1440-1570SAT range
  • 32-35ACT range
  • 4.18Avg GPA
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California Institute of Technology
C
Pasadena, CA
California Institute of Technology

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

#2 Best Colleges in California

  • 2,233enrollment
  • $27,438net price
  • 6%acceptance rate
  • 1530-1560SAT range
  • 35-36ACT range
  • 3.97*Avg GPA
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Pomona College
P
Claremont, CA
Pomona College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

#3 Best Colleges in California

  • 1,573enrollment
  • $18,500net price
  • 7%acceptance rate
  • 1390-1540SAT range
  • 32-35ACT range
  • 3.89*Avg GPA
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Claremont McKenna College
C
Claremont, CA
Claremont McKenna College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

#4 Best Colleges in California

  • 1,327enrollment
  • $24,456net price
  • 10%acceptance rate
  • 1360-1510SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.89*Avg GPA
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University of Southern California
S
Los Angeles, CA
University of Southern California

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

#5 Best Colleges in California

  • 47,310enrollment
  • $37,521net price
  • 11%acceptance rate
  • 1360-1530SAT range
  • 31-34ACT range
  • 3.73Avg GPA
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Scripps College
S
Claremont, CA
Scripps College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

#6 Best Colleges in California

  • 1,071enrollment
  • $39,702net price
  • 32%acceptance rate
  • 1333-1490SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 4.13Avg GPA
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Santa Clara University
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S
Santa Clara, CA
Santa Clara University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

#7 Best Colleges in California

  • 8,642enrollment
  • $42,114net price
  • 49%acceptance rate
  • 1280-1440SAT range
  • 28-32ACT range
  • 3.66Avg GPA
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University of California Los Angeles
C
Los Angeles, CA
University of California Los Angeles

Public 4 Year

3 reviews

#8 Best Colleges in California

  • 44,537enrollment
  • $15,718net price
  • 12%acceptance rate
  • 1300-1530SAT range
  • 29-35ACT range
  • 4.29Avg GPA
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Loyola Marymount University
L
Los Angeles, CA
Loyola Marymount University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

#9 Best Colleges in California

  • 9,838enrollment
  • $47,292net price
  • 44%acceptance rate
  • 1230-1410SAT range
  • 27-31ACT range
  • 3.72Avg GPA
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University of California Berkeley
C
Berkeley, CA
University of California Berkeley

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

#10 Best Colleges in California

  • 42,501enrollment
  • $18,522net price
  • 16%acceptance rate
  • 1330-1530SAT range
  • 31-35ACT range
  • 3.86Avg GPA
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Occidental College
O
Los Angeles, CA
Occidental College

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

#11 Best Colleges in California

  • 1,930enrollment
  • $35,362net price
  • 37%acceptance rate
  • 1300-1480SAT range
  • 28-32ACT range
  • 3.6Avg GPA
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University of California San Diego
C
La Jolla, CA
University of California San Diego

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

#12 Best Colleges in California

  • 37,887enrollment
  • $14,864net price
  • 31%acceptance rate
  • 1250-1490SAT range
  • 26-34ACT range
  • 3.82*Avg GPA
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University of California Irvine
C
Irvine, CA
University of California Irvine

Public 4 Year

2 reviews

#13 Best Colleges in California

  • 36,032enrollment
  • $15,268net price
  • 27%acceptance rate
  • 1170-1420SAT range
  • 24-33ACT range
  • 3.92Avg GPA
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University of California Davis
C
Davis, CA
University of California Davis

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

#14 Best Colleges in California

  • 38,167enrollment
  • $15,886net price
  • 39%acceptance rate
  • 1170-1410SAT range
  • 24-32ACT range
  • 3.99Avg GPA
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University of San Diego
S
San Diego, CA
University of San Diego

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

#15 Best Colleges in California

  • 9,073enrollment
  • $35,936net price
  • 49%acceptance rate
  • 1190-1370SAT range
  • 26-31ACT range
  • 3.88Avg GPA
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Chapman University
C
Orange, CA
Chapman University

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

#16 Best Colleges in California

  • 9,608enrollment
  • $43,767net price
  • 56%acceptance rate
  • 1190-1380SAT range
  • 25-31ACT range
  • 3.68Avg GPA
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University of the Pacific
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t
Stockton, CA
University of the Pacific

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

#17 Best Colleges in California

  • 6,493enrollment
  • $33,178net price
  • 66%acceptance rate
  • 1120-1360SAT range
  • 23-31ACT range
  • 3.47Avg GPA
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Pepperdine University
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P
Malibu, CA
Pepperdine University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

#18 Best Colleges in California

  • 7,961enrollment
  • $42,135net price
  • 32%acceptance rate
  • 1230-1450SAT range
  • 27-32ACT range
  • 3.59Avg GPA
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