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.

List of California Private Colleges Ranked by Largest Enrollment
College	Enrollment
Menlo College Atherton, California	810
Whittier College Whittier, California	795
Laguna College of Art and Design Laguna Beach, California	775
Casa Loma College Los Angeles Sherman Oaks, California	759
Humphreys University Stockton and Modesto Campuses Stockton, California	699
Minerva University San Francisco, California	669
Northeastern University Oakland Oakland, California	640
Life Pacific University San Dimas, California	621
Thomas Aquinas College Santa Paula, California	566
The King's University Southlake, California	540
World Mission University Los Angeles, California	510
Soka University of America Aliso Viejo, California	495
San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco, California	439
Lincoln University Oakland, California	436
American Jewish University Los Angeles, California	424
Community Christian College Quartzsite, California	424
Southern California Institute of Architecture Los Angeles, California	418
San Francisco Bay University Fremont, California	389

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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.