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

San Diego Miramar College
S
San Diego, CA

San Diego Miramar College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 13,569enrollment
  • $2,682net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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University of San Diego
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S
San Diego, CA

University of San Diego

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

 

  • 9,110enrollment
  • $37,675net price
  • 47%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.95Avg GPA

Applications Due Dec 15

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San Francisco Conservatory of Music
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S
San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 403enrollment
  • $44,360net price
  • 52%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Dec 7

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San Joaquin Delta College
S
Stockton, CA
 

San Joaquin Delta College

Public 2 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 18,226enrollment
  • $11,586net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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San Joaquin Valley College Visalia
S
Visalia, CA
 

San Joaquin Valley College Visalia

Private 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 2,369enrollment
  • $28,857net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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San Joaquin Valley College Bakersfield
S
Bakersfield, California
 

San Joaquin Valley College Bakersfield

Private 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 820enrollment
  • $21,599net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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San Jose City College
S
San Jose, CA
 

San Jose City College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 8,400enrollment
  • $19,159net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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College of San Mateo
S
San Mateo, CA

College of San Mateo

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 9,208enrollment
  • $6,887net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Santa Barbara Business College Bakersfield
S
Bakersfield, CA
 

Santa Barbara Business College Bakersfield

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 9enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Santa Barbara Business College Santa Maria
S
Santa Maria, CA
 

Santa Barbara Business College Santa Maria

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 99enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Santa Barbara City College
S
Santa Barbara, CA

Santa Barbara City College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 12,345enrollment
  • $12,883net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 19

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Santa Monica College
S
Santa Monica, CA

Santa Monica College

Public 2 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 23,164enrollment
  • $5,636net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 30

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Santa Rosa Junior College
S
Santa Rosa, CA

Santa Rosa Junior College

Public 2 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 16,803enrollment
  • $7,133net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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College of the Sequoias
S
Visalia, CA
 

College of the Sequoias

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 13,586enrollment
  • $1,398net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Shasta Bible College and Graduate School
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S
Redding, CA
 

Shasta Bible College and Graduate School

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 20enrollment
  • $17,119net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Shasta College
S
Redding, CA
 

Shasta College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 8,081enrollment
  • $7,751net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Sierra College
S
Rocklin, CA
 

Sierra College

Public 2 Year

3 reviews

 

  • 17,420enrollment
  • $6,970net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Simpson University
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S
Redding, CA
 

Simpson University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 907enrollment
  • $28,453net price
  • 99%acceptance rate
  • 960-1185SAT range
  • 21-28ACT range
  • 3.4Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 1

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