Resources For Students & Parents The University of California System The Nine UC Schools for Undergraduates Share Flipboard Email Print For Students & Parents College Admissions Choosing a College College Admissions Process College Profiles College Rankings Application Tips Essay Samples & Tips College Testing Testing Graphs Financial Aid Extracurricular Activities Advanced Placement Homework Help Private Schools Test Prep College Life Graduate School Business School Law School Distance Learning View More by Allen Grove Updated December 01, 2017 California has one of the best state university systems in the country (also one of the most expensive), and three of the schools below made our list of top public universities. The nine universities that offer undergraduate degrees are listed here from the lowest to highest acceptance rate. Keep in mind that the acceptance rate isn't necessarily an accurate representation of selectivity. Follow the profile link to get data related to admission standards, costs, and financial aid.Note that the UC system actually has nine campuses, not the nine listed below. San Francisco also has a University of California campus, but it is dedicated exclusively to graduate study and thus is not included in this ranking. 01 of 10 UC Berkeley The University of California Berkeley. Charlie Nguyen / Flickr Not only does the University of California Berkeley rank at the top of this list of the UC schools, it tends to earn the #1 spot in the country for all public universities. To get in, applicants will need grades and standardized test scores that are well above average. UC Berkeley made our lists of the top public universities, top 10 engineering programs, and top 10 business schools. The university competes in the NCAA Division I Pacific 12 Conference.Acceptance Rate (2016): 17%Enrollment: 40,154 (29,310 undergraduates)Explore the Campus: UC Berkeley photo tourAdmissions: Berkeley GPA and Test Score GraphFor more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the Berkeley profile More » 02 of 10 UCLA Royce Hall at UCLA. Photo Credit: Marisa Benjamin UCLA will nearly always be found ranked among the country's top 10 public universities, and its strengths span fields from the arts to engineering. The university's athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division I Pacific 12 Conference.Acceptance Rate (2016): 18%Enrollment: 43,548 (30,873 undergraduates)Explore the Campus: UCLA photo tourAdmissions: UCLA GPA and Test Score GraphFor more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UCLA profile More » 03 of 10 UC San Diego Geisel Library at UCSD. Photo Credit: Marisa Benjamin UCSD consistently ranks among the country's best public universities, and it also tends to make lists of the best engineering programs. The university is home to the highly regarded Scripps Institute of Oceanography UCSD athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division II level.Acceptance Rate (2016): 36%Enrollment: 34,979 (28,127 undergraduates)Explore the Campus: UCSD Photo TourAdmissions: UCSD GPA and Test Score GraphFor more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UCSD profile More » 04 of 10 UC Santa Barbara UCSB, University of California Santa Barbara. Carl Jantzen / Flickr UC Santa Barbara's enviable location earned it a place among the best colleges for beach lovers, but academics are also strong. UCSB has a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, and it is a member of the Association of American Universities for its research strengths. The UCSB Gauchos compete in the NCAA Division I Big West Conference.Acceptance Rate (2016): 36%Enrollment: 24,346 (21,574 undergraduates)Admissions: UCSB GPA and Test Score GraphFor more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UCSB profile More » 05 of 10 UC Irvine Frederick Reines Hall at UC Irvine. Photo Credit: Marisa Benjamin UC Irvine has numerous academic strengths spanning a wide range of disciplines: biology and health sciences, criminology, English, and psychology to name a few. The university's athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division I Big West Conference.Acceptance Rate (2016): 41%Enrollment: 32,754 (27,331 undergraduates)Explore the Campus: UC Irvine photo tourAdmissions: UC Irvine GPA and Test Score GraphFor more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UC Irvine profile More » 06 of 10 UC Davis The Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at UC Davis. Steven Tyler PJs / Flickr UC Davis has a huge 5,300-acre campus, and the school tends to do well in national rankings of public universities. Like several of the schools on this list, UC Davis competes in the NCAA Division I Big West Conference, and academic strengths earned the university a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and membership in the Association of American Universities.Acceptance Rate (2016): 42%Enrollment: 38,460 (29,379 undergraduates)Admissions: UC Davis GPA and Test Score GraphFor more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UC Davis profile More » 07 of 10 UC Santa Cruz University of California Santa Cruz Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton. the_tahoe_guy / Flickr An impressive number of students who attend UC Santa Cruz go on to earn their doctorates. The campus overlooks Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean, and the university is known for its progressive curriculum.Acceptance Rate (2016): 58%Enrollment: 18,783 (16,962 undergraduates)Admissions: UC Santa Cruz GPA and Test Score GraphFor more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UCSC profile More » 08 of 10 UC Riverside Botanic Garden at UC Riverside. Matthew Mendoza / Flickr UC Riverside has the distinction of being one of the most ethnically diverse research universities in the country. The business program is extremely popular, but the school's strong programs in the liberal arts and sciences earned it a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. The school's athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division I Big West Conference.Acceptance Rate (2016): 66%Enrollment: 22,715 (19,799 undergraduates)Admissions: UC Riverside GPA and Test Score GraphFor more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UC Riverside profile More » 09 of 10 UC Merced University of California Merced. Russell Neches / Flickr UC Merced is the first new research university of the 21st century, and the university's state-of-the-art construction was designed to have minimal environmental impact. Business, science, and social science fields are most popular among undergraduates.Acceptance Rate (2016): 74%Enrollment: 7,336 (8,815 undergraduates)Admissions: UC Merced GPA and Test Score GraphFor more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UC Merced profile More » 10 of 10 Learn More If you're planning to apply to one of the University of California schools, be sure to read these tips for the 8 UC Personal Insight questions. Also, you can get a sense of how your measure up at the different campuses with these comparisons of UC SAT scores and UC ACT scores. citecite this article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Grove, Allen. "The University of California System." ThoughtCo, Dec. 1, 2017, thoughtco.com/the-university-of-california-system-787015. Grove, Allen. (2017, December 1). The University of California System. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-university-of-california-system-787015 Grove, Allen. "The University of California System." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-university-of-california-system-787015 (accessed April 19, 2018). copy citation Continue Reading