California Private Colleges Ranked by Smallest Enrollment

Below is a ranking of the 102 private colleges in California with the smallest enrollment of full and part time students. The University of America leads the list with a population of 0 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 Smallest Enrollment
College	Enrollment
Hope International University Fullerton, California	1,025
Palo Alto University Palo Alto, California	1,065
Pacific Oaks College Pasadena, California	1,068
Scripps College Claremont, California	1,137
Pitzer College Claremont, California	1,242
Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, California	1,267
California Institute of the Arts Valencia, California	1,277
California College of the Arts San Francisco, California	1,308
Westmont College Santa Barbara, California	1,310
Claremont McKenna College Claremont, California	1,393
La Sierra University Riverside, California	1,574
Pomona College Claremont, California	1,700
William Jessup University Rocklin, California	1,865
California Institute of Integral Studies San Francisco, California	1,874
Occidental College Los Angeles, California	1,881
Los Angeles Pacific University San Dimas, California	1,881
Dominican University of California San Rafael, California	1,900
Samuel Merritt University Oakland, California	1,926

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This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.