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

Long Beach City College
L
Long Beach, CA

Long Beach City College

Public 2 Year

2 reviews

 

  • 24,425enrollment
  • $6,215net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 17

Compare Calculate my chances 
Los Angeles Harbor College
L
Wilmington, CA

Los Angeles Harbor College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 8,898enrollment
  • $12,165net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 2.5Avg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Los Angeles Pierce College
L
Woodland Hills, CA

Los Angeles Pierce College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 16,186enrollment
  • $12,822net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 20

Compare Calculate my chances 
Los Angeles Southwest College
L
Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles Southwest College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 5,267enrollment
  • $8,538net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Sep 12

Compare Calculate my chances 
Los Angeles Trade Technical College
L
Los Angeles, CA
 

Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 12,655enrollment
  • $11,761net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Sep 7

Compare Calculate my chances 
Los Angeles Valley College
L
Valley Glen, CA

Los Angeles Valley College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 15,733enrollment
  • $11,547net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
The Master's College and Seminary
Connect Me
M
Santa Clarita, CA

The Master's College and Seminary

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 2,799enrollment
  • $33,463net price
  • 76%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.8Avg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Los Angeles City College
L
Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles City College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 14,076enrollment
  • $8,834net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Los Angeles Mission College
L
Sylmar, CA
 

Los Angeles Mission College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 10,425enrollment
  • $13,383net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Los Medanos College
L
Pittsburg, CA
 

Los Medanos College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 8,230enrollment
  • $8,413net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Aug 9

Compare Calculate my chances 
College of Marin
M
Kentfield, CA

College of Marin

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 4,673enrollment
  • $29,061net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Marymount California University
Connect Me
M
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Marymount California University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 514enrollment
  • -net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.09Avg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Mendocino College
M
Ukiah, CA
 

Mendocino College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 4,032enrollment
  • $8,081net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Menlo College
Connect Me
M
Atherton, CA
 

Menlo College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

 

  • 840enrollment
  • $28,158net price
  • 68%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.3Estimated Avg GPA

Applications Due Apr 1

Compare Calculate my chances 
Merced College
M
Merced, CA
 

Merced College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 11,835enrollment
  • $6,271net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Merritt College
M
Oakland, CA
 

Merritt College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 6,716enrollment
  • $17,718net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
Mills College
Connect Me
M
Oakland, CA

Mills College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 658enrollment
  • -net price
  • 17%acceptance rate
  • 1390-1520SAT range
  • 31-33ACT range
  • 3.57Avg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances 
MiraCosta College
M
Oceanside, CA

MiraCosta College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 11,707enrollment
  • $7,972net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Compare Calculate my chances