9 Schools in the University of California System

UCLA will nearly always be found ranked among the country's top ten 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 (2017): 16%
• Enrollment: 44,027 (31,002 undergraduates)

Not only does the University of California Berkeley rank at the top of this list of the UC schools, it tends to earn the number 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 ten engineering programs, and top ten business schools. The university competes in the NCAA Division I Pacific 12 Conference.

• Acceptance Rate (2017): 17%
• Enrollment: 41,891 (30,574 undergraduates)

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 (2017): 33%
• Enrollment: 25,057 (22,186 undergraduates)

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 (2017): 34%
• Enrollment: 35,772 (28,587 undergraduates)

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 (2017): 37%
• Enrollment: 35,242 (29,307 undergraduates)

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. Academic strengths earned the university a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and membership in the Association of American Universities.

• Acceptance Rate (2017): 43%
• Enrollment: 37,380 (30,066 undergraduates)

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 (2017): 51%
• Enrollment: 19,457 (17,577 undergraduates)

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 (2017): 57%
• Enrollment: 23,279 (20,073 undergraduates)

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 (2017): 70%
• Enrollment: 7,967 (7,375 undergraduates)