California Public Colleges Ranked by Largest Enrollment

Below is a ranking of the 148 public colleges in California with the largest enrollment of full and part time students. University of California Los Angeles leads the list with a population of 47,335 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 Public Colleges Ranked by Largest Enrollment
College	Enrollment
Palomar College San Marcos, California	19,550
Fullerton College Fullerton, California	19,521
City College of San Francisco San Francisco, California	19,267
San Diego Mesa College San Diego, California	19,212
Sierra College Rocklin, California	19,125
California State University San Bernardino San Bernardino, California	18,492
Modesto Junior College Modesto, California	18,258
College of the Canyons Santa Clarita, California	18,075
Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa, California	17,854
Mt San Jacinto Community College District San Jacinto, California	17,627
Rio Hondo College Whittier, California	17,441
De Anza College Cupertino, California	17,425
Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill, California	17,228
Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, California	17,096
Los Angeles Pierce College Woodland Hills, California	16,906
California State University San Marcos San Marcos, California	16,237
Los Angeles Valley College Valley Glen, California	15,999
Cypress College Cypress, California	15,924

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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.