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

Design Institute of San Diego
D
San Diego, CA
 

Design Institute of San Diego

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 111enrollment
  • $27,693net price
  • 88%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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DeVry University California
D
Pomona, California
 

DeVry University California

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 11,039enrollment
  • -net price
  • 83%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Diablo Valley College
D
Pleasant Hill, CA
 

Diablo Valley College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 16,424enrollment
  • $8,761net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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East Los Angeles College
E
Monterey Park, CA

East Los Angeles College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 30,321enrollment
  • $11,029net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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El Camino Community College District
E
Torrance, CA

El Camino Community College District

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 21,599enrollment
  • $7,496net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 27

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Evergreen Valley College
E
San Jose, CA
 

Evergreen Valley College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 8,989enrollment
  • $15,540net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Los Angeles
F
Los Angeles, CA
 

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Los Angeles

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 1,366enrollment
  • $41,128net price
  • 42%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Fashion Careers College
F
San Diego, California
 

Fashion Careers College

Private 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 101enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising San Francisco
F
San Francisco, CA
 

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising San Francisco

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 113enrollment
  • $31,404net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 2.9Avg GPA

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FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Orange County
F
Irvine, CA
 

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Orange County

Private 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 64enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 2.9Avg GPA

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Feather River Community College District
F
Quincy, CA
 

Feather River Community College District

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 1,758enrollment
  • $10,949net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Foothill College
F
Los Altos Hills, CA

Foothill College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 12,931enrollment
  • $9,665net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Fresno City College
F
Fresno, CA

Fresno City College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 25,285enrollment
  • $3,822net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Fullerton College
F
Fullerton, CA
 

Fullerton College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 18,569enrollment
  • $10,316net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Gavilan College
G
Gilroy, CA
 

Gavilan College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 5,484enrollment
  • $4,607net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Glendale Community College
G
Glendale, CA

Glendale Community College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 11,176enrollment
  • $9,328net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Golden Gate University
Connect Me
G
San Francisco, CA
 

Golden Gate University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 2,262enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Golden West College
G
Huntington Beach, CA

Golden West College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 10,433enrollment
  • $5,438net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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