Top California Colleges and Universities

• Location: Berkeley, California
• Enrollment: 38,189 (27,496 undergraduates)
• Type of Institution: public research university
• Distinctions:  one of the nine undergraduate University of California schools; member of the Association of American Universities for strong research programs; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences;  member of the NCAA Division I Pacific 10 Conference; vibrant cultural environment in the San Francisco Bay area 
• For more information and admissions data, visit the Berkeley profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Berkeley

• Location: Pasadena, California
• Enrollment: 2,255 (1,001 undergraduates)
• Type of Institution: private engineering university
• Distinctions: one of the top engineering schools; amazing 3 to 1 student/faculty ratio; member of the Association of American Universities for strong research programs
• For more information and admissions data, visit the Caltech profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Caltech

• Location: Claremont, California
• Enrollment: 1,349 (1,328 undergraduates)
• Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
• Distinctions: high-ranking liberal arts college; one of the ​most selective colleges in the country; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; cross-registration with the other Claremont Colleges; 8 to 1 student/faculty ratio
• For more information and admissions data, visit the Claremont McKenna profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Claremont McKenna

• Location: Claremont, California
• Enrollment: 825 (all undergraduate)
• Type of Institution: undergraduate engineering college
• Distinctions: one of the top undergraduate engineering colleges; engineering curriculum grounded in the liberal arts; member of the Claremont Colleges with Scripps College, Pitzer College, Claremont McKenna College, and Pomona College
• For more information and admissions data, visit the Harvey Mudd profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Harvey Mudd

• Location: Los Angeles, California
• Enrollment: 2,023 (2,021 undergraduates)
• Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
• Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; diverse student body; blend of urban and suburban advantages -- located just eight miles from downtown Los Angeles
• For more information and admissions data, visit the Occidental College profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Occidental

• Location: Malibu, California
• Enrollment: 7,632 (3,533 undergraduates)
• Type of Institution: private research university
• Distinctions: 830-acre campus overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Malibu; strong programs in business and communications; member of the NCAA Division I West Coast Conference; affiliated with the Churches of Christ
• For more information and admissions data, visit the Pepperdine University profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Pepperdine

• Location: Claremont, California
• Enrollment: 1,663 (all undergraduate)
• Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
• Distinctions: one of the 10 top liberal arts colleges in the country; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; member of the Claremont Colleges; 7 to 1 student/faculty ratio; average class size of 14
• For more information and admissions data, visit the Pomona College profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Pomona

• Location: Claremont, California
• Enrollment: 989 (973 undergrads)
• Type of Institution: private women's liberal arts college
• Distinctions: one of the top women's colleges in the country; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; member of the Claremont Colleges
• For more information and admissions data, visit the Scripps College profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Scripps

• Location: Stanford, California
• Enrollment: 16,980 (7,000 undergraduates)
• Type of Institution: private research university
• Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for research strengths; one of the top 10 universities in the country; member of the NCAA Division I Pacific 10 Conference
• For more information and admissions data, visit the Stanford University profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Stanford

• Location: Los Angeles, California
• Enrollment: 41,908 (29,585 undergraduates)
• Type of Institution: public research university
• Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for research strengths; part of the University of California system; one of the top-ranked public universities in the country; member of the NCAA Division I Pacific 10 Conference
• Explore the Campus: UCLA photo tour
• For more information and admissions data, visit the UCLA profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UCLA

• Location: San Diego, California
• Enrollment: 32,906 (26,590 undergraduates)
• Type of Institution: public research university
• Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for research strengths; part of the University of California system; one of the top-ranked public universities in the country; one of the top-ranked engineering schools
• For more information and admissions data, visit the UCSD profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UCSD

• Location: Los Angeles, California
• Enrollment: 43,401 (18,810 undergraduates)
• Type of Institution: private research university
• Distinctions: member of the Association of American Universities for its research strengths; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; over 130 majors to choose from; member of the NCAA Division I Pac 12 Conference
• Explore the Campus: USC Photo Tour
• For more information and admissions data, visit the USC profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for USC

Se​e if you have the grades and test scores you need to get into one of these top California schools with this free tool from Cappex: Calculate Your Chances of Getting In

If you want to attend college on the West Coast, expand your search beyond California. Check out these 30 top West Coast colleges and universities. More »

Expand your college search even further by exploring these top colleges and universities across the United States:

Private Universities | Public Universities | Liberal Arts Colleges | Engineering | Business | Women's | Most Selective

Many of these schools did not make the list above, but students interested in attending college in California should check out the nine schools offering undergraduate degrees in the University of California System, and the 23 universities in the California State University System.