California Private Colleges Ranked by Largest Enrollment
Below is a ranking of the 102 private colleges in California with the largest enrollment of full and part time students. University of Southern California leads the list with a population of 46,566 students.
Enrollment is a measure of the size of the student body. Larger schools are more likely to offer a wider range of programs and services while smaller schools may have a more intimate and personalized experience.
| College | Enrollment |
|---|---|
|
Pomona College
Claremont, California |
1,700 |
|
La Sierra University
Riverside, California |
1,574 |
|
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California |
1,393 |
|
Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California |
1,310 |
|
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California |
1,308 |
|
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, California |
1,277 |
|
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, California |
1,267 |
|
Pitzer College
Claremont, California |
1,242 |
|
Scripps College
Claremont, California |
1,137 |
|
Pacific Oaks College
Pasadena, California |
1,068 |
|
Palo Alto University
Palo Alto, California |
1,065 |
|
Hope International University
Fullerton, California |
1,025 |
|
Simpson University
Redding, California |
992 |
|
Pacific Union College
Angwin, California |
974 |
|
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California |
951 |
|
Antioch University Los Angeles
Culver City, California |
910 |
|
Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science
Los Angeles, California |
852 |
|
Woodbury University
Burbank, California |
849 |
This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: March 15, 2026
Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.