Best California Colleges

Ranked list of Colleges and Universities in California for 2024

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 312 colleges and universities in California enrolling 2,399,742 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

312 results

List of the Best California Colleges

Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad West Coast Talmudical Seminary
Connect Me
Y
Los Angeles, CA
 

Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad West Coast Talmudical Seminary

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 142enrollment
  • $12,326net price
  • 61%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Yuba College
Y
Marysville, CA
 

Yuba College

Public 2 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 5,401enrollment
  • $5,831net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Antioch University Los Angeles
Connect Me
A
Culver City, CA
 

Antioch University Los Angeles

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 867enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Antioch University Santa Barbara
Connect Me
A
Santa Barbara, CA
 

Antioch University Santa Barbara

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 279enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 15

Compare Calculate my chances 
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising San Diego
F
San Diego, CA
 

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising San Diego

Private 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 66enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 2.9Avg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Platt College Los Angeles
P
Alhambra, CA
 

Platt College Los Angeles

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 667enrollment
  • $29,589net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
San Joaquin Valley College Fresno
S
Fresno, California
 

San Joaquin Valley College Fresno

Private 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 435enrollment
  • $25,874net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Las Positas College
L
Livermore, CA
 

Las Positas College

Public 2 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 6,724enrollment
  • $5,342net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 1

Compare Calculate my chances 
University of Phoenix San Diego Campus
P
San Diego, California
 

University of Phoenix San Diego Campus

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 5,842enrollment
  • $19,094net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Pacific College of Health and Science San Diego
P
San Diego, CA
 

Pacific College of Health and Science San Diego

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 989enrollment
  • $26,446net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Copper Mountain Community College
C
Joshua Tree, CA
 

Copper Mountain Community College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 1,402enrollment
  • $9,038net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Mt Sierra College
M
Monrovia, CA

Mt Sierra College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 130enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Santiago Canyon College
S
Orange, CA

Santiago Canyon College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 11,696enrollment
  • $6,529net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Southern California Institute of Technology
S
Anaheim, CA
 

Southern California Institute of Technology

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 541enrollment
  • $28,699net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Soka University of America
Connect Me
S
Aliso Viejo, CA

Soka University of America

Private 4 Year

18 reviews

 

  • 455enrollment
  • $17,928net price
  • 57%acceptance rate
  • 1240-1440SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.7Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Compare Calculate my chances 
World Mission University
Connect Me
W
Los Angeles, CA
 

World Mission University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 424enrollment
  • $18,973net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
University of Phoenix Bay Area Campus
P
San Jose, California
 

University of Phoenix Bay Area Campus

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 1,880enrollment
  • $19,295net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
University of Phoenix Southern California Campus
P
Costa Mesa, California
 

University of Phoenix Southern California Campus

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 9,611enrollment
  • $19,922net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances