Best California Colleges

Ranked list of Colleges and Universities in California for 2025

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 and CalTech. 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 CSU system is the largest public four-year university system in the US and enrolls 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 311 colleges and universities in California enrolling 2,509,410 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

311 results

List of the Best California Colleges

Mission College
M
Santa Clara, CA

Mission College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 6,669enrollment
  • $7,771net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Modesto Junior College
M
Modesto, CA

Modesto Junior College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 17,152enrollment
  • $13,093net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jun 30

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Monterey Peninsula College
M
Monterey, CA

Monterey Peninsula College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 7,351enrollment
  • $14,880net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 29

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Moorpark College
M
Moorpark, CA
 

Moorpark College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 14,091enrollment
  • $4,601net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Mt. San Antonio College
M
Walnut, CA

Mt. San Antonio College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 28,742enrollment
  • $5,186net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Mt. San Jacinto Community College District
M
San Jacinto, CA
 

Mt. San Jacinto Community College District

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 17,215enrollment
  • $8,561net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Musicians Institute
M
Hollywood, CA
 

Musicians Institute

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 812enrollment
  • $39,056net price
  • 71%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Napa Valley College
N
Napa, CA
 

Napa Valley College

Public 2 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 4,213enrollment
  • $18,153net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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The National Hispanic University
N
San Jose, California
 

The National Hispanic University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 615enrollment
  • $17,171net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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National University
Connect Me
N
San Diego, CA
 

National University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 19,924enrollment
  • $28,115net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Newschool of Architecture and Design
N
San Diego, CA
 

Newschool of Architecture and Design

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 280enrollment
  • $50,190net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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San Francisco Bay University
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S
Fremont, California
 

San Francisco Bay University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 328enrollment
  • $13,221net price
  • 69%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 2.72Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 5

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Notre Dame de Namur University
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N
Belmont, CA

Notre Dame de Namur University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 237enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.1Estimated Avg GPA

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Ohlone Community College
O
Fremont, CA

Ohlone Community College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 8,375enrollment
  • $17,755net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Orange Coast College
O
Costa Mesa, CA
 

Orange Coast College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 17,085enrollment
  • $7,557net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Oxnard College
O
Oxnard, CA
 

Oxnard College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 6,911enrollment
  • $1,665net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Palo Alto University
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P
Palo Alto, CA
 

Palo Alto University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 1,223enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 31

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Pacific Oaks College
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P
Pasadena, CA
 

Pacific Oaks College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 1,051enrollment
  • -net price
  • 10%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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