Best California Colleges

Ranked list of Colleges and Universities in California for 2024

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 312 colleges and universities in California enrolling 2,399,742 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.

California Public Private For-Profit 4 year 2 year

312 results

List of the Best California Colleges

Loma Linda University
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L
Loma Linda, CA
 

Loma Linda University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 4,280enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Long Beach City College
L
Long Beach, CA

Long Beach City College

Public 2 Year

2 reviews

 

  • 22,402enrollment
  • $6,084net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 17

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Los Angeles Harbor College
L
Wilmington, CA

Los Angeles Harbor College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 7,384enrollment
  • $12,757net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 2.5Avg GPA

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Los Angeles Pierce College
L
Woodland Hills, CA

Los Angeles Pierce College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 15,372enrollment
  • $13,422net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 20

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Los Angeles Southwest College
L
Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles Southwest College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 4,913enrollment
  • $9,271net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Sep 12

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Los Angeles Trade Technical College
L
Los Angeles, CA
 

Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 10,377enrollment
  • $11,952net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Sep 7

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Los Angeles Valley College
L
Valley Glen, CA

Los Angeles Valley College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 15,037enrollment
  • $11,938net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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The Master's College and Seminary
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M
Santa Clarita, CA

The Master's College and Seminary

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 2,606enrollment
  • $30,783net price
  • 78%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.8Avg GPA

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Los Angeles City College
L
Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles City College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 13,199enrollment
  • $10,423net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Los Angeles Mission College
L
Sylmar, CA
 

Los Angeles Mission College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 9,283enrollment
  • $13,089net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Los Medanos College
L
Pittsburg, CA
 

Los Medanos College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 7,791enrollment
  • $7,459net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 9

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College of Marin
M
Kentfield, CA

College of Marin

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 4,283enrollment
  • $9,564net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Marymount California University
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M
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Marymount California University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 514enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.09Avg GPA

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Mendocino College
M
Ukiah, CA
 

Mendocino College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 3,554enrollment
  • $12,439net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Menlo College
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M
Atherton, CA
 

Menlo College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 800enrollment
  • $29,151net price
  • 62%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.3Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Apr 1

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Merced College
M
Merced, CA
 

Merced College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 10,214enrollment
  • $6,934net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Merritt College
M
Oakland, CA
 

Merritt College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 6,514enrollment
  • $17,108net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Mills College
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M
Oakland, CA

Mills College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 817enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • 1378-1413SAT range
  • 30-31ACT range
  • 3.57Avg GPA

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