12 Top-Ranked California Colleges and Universities

California has some of the best colleges and universities in the country. The University of California system has many strengths, and California has both strong liberal arts colleges and private research universities. The 12 top colleges listed below vary so much in size and type of school, they are simply listed alphabetically. Schools were selected based on factors such as retention rates, four- and six-year graduation rates, overall value, and academic strengths.

Compare Top California Colleges: SAT Scores | ACT Scores
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Berkeley (University of California at Berkeley)

The University of California Berkeley. Charlie Nguyen / Flickr

Location: Berkeley, California
Enrollment: 40,154 (29,310 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

Caltech (California Institute of Technology)

Beckman Institute at Caltech. smerikal / Flickr

Location: Pasadena, California
Enrollment: 2,240 (979 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

Claremont McKenna College

Location: Claremont, California
Enrollment: 1,347 (all 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

Harvey Mudd College

Location: Claremont, California
Enrollment: 842 (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

Occidental College

Location: Los Angeles, California
Enrollment: 1,969 (all 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

Pepperdine University

Location: Malibu, California
Enrollment: 7,826 (3,542 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

Pomona College

Location: Claremont, California
Enrollment: 1,563 (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

Scripps College

Location: Claremont, California
Enrollment: 1,057 (1,039 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

Stanford University

Location: Stanford, California
Enrollment: 17,184 (7,034 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

UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles)

Royce Hall at UCLA. Photo Credit: Marisa Benjamin

Location: Los Angeles, California
Enrollment: 43,548 (30,873 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

UCSD (University of California at San Diego)

Geisel Library at UCSD (click photo to enlarge). Marisa Benjamin

Location: San Diego, California
Enrollment: 34,979 (28,127 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

USC (University of Southern California)

USC Doheny Memorial Library. Marisa Benjamin

Location: Los Angeles, California
Enrollment: 43,871 (18,794 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

Calculate Your Chances

See 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

Explore More Top West Coast Colleges

map of US West Coast — CC BY SA 3.0/US_Locator_Blank.svg/Wikimedia Commons

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 »

Top Colleges in the United States

student carrying books in bookstrap — CC0/Public Domain

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

Public Universities in California

California State University Chico. Alan Levine / Flickr

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.