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

Cabrillo College
C
Aptos, CA
 

Cabrillo College

Public 2 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 9,149enrollment
  • $18,992net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Apr 9

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California College of the Arts
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C
Oakland, CA

California College of the Arts

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 1,501enrollment
  • $47,862net price
  • 76%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.34Avg GPA

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California State University Bakersfield
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C
Bakersfield, CA

California State University Bakersfield

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 9,613enrollment
  • $7,521net price
  • 87%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Dec 15

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California State University Stanislaus
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C
Turlock, CA

California State University Stanislaus

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 10,154enrollment
  • $7,555net price
  • 97%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.47Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 30

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California State University Dominguez Hills
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C
Carson, CA

California State University Dominguez Hills

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 16,426enrollment
  • $5,068net price
  • 89%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.16Avg GPA

Applications Due Dec 4

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California State University East Bay
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C
Hayward, CA

California State University East Bay

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 13,673enrollment
  • $11,464net price
  • 96%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.2Avg GPA

Applications Due Oct 1

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California Christian College
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C
Fresno, CA
 

California Christian College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 13enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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California College San Diego
C
San Diego, California
 

California College San Diego

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 200enrollment
  • $22,848net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Haven University
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H
Garden Grove, California
 

Haven University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 80enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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California Institute of the Arts
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C
Valencia, CA

California Institute of the Arts

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 1,440enrollment
  • $55,225net price
  • 25%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jan 5

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California Maritime Academy
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C
Vallejo, CA

California Maritime Academy

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 849enrollment
  • $17,566net price
  • 96%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.43Avg GPA

Applications Due Dec 15

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Canada College
C
Redwood City, CA
 

Canada College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 5,388enrollment
  • $4,420net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 31

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College of the Canyons
C
Santa Clarita, CA

College of the Canyons

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 18,075enrollment
  • $6,185net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Casa Loma College Los Angeles
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C
Sherman Oaks, CA
 

Casa Loma College Los Angeles

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 415enrollment
  • $14,985net price
  • 40%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Cerritos College
C
Norwalk, CA

Cerritos College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 19,469enrollment
  • $3,812net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Cerro Coso Community College
C
Ridgecrest, CA
 

Cerro Coso Community College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 4,919enrollment
  • $11,826net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 20

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Chabot College
C
Hayward, CA

Chabot College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 10,736enrollment
  • $8,213net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jul 30

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Chaffey College
C
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Chaffey College

Public 2 Year

3 reviews

 

  • 19,238enrollment
  • $14,778net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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