College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Top California Men's D1 Basketball Schools

21 Colleges
$41,532 Avg Tuition & Fees*
55% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

When it comes to choosing a college, student athletes have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Division I Men's Basketball in California ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

After analyzing 21 schools in California, we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for D1 Men's Basketball athletes in California. Our ranking is based on several objective factors, including the school's overall quality and the athletic competitiveness of the school. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. So, even if a school has a great team, it won't place well if it is also considered a low quality college or university.

Find out more about our ranking methodology.

Custom Rankings

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
Other Rankings Other Categories

Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.

We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don't have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Get Recruited to Play Sports in College
Gain Exposure & Get Discovered by College Coaches

Top Colleges in California for D1 Men's Basketball athletes in California

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Our analysis found University of California - Los Angeles to be the best school for D1 Men’s Basketball athletes in California in this year’s ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large public school awarded 9,851 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . The D1 Men’s Basketball team at UCLA made $12,891,320 in revenue, while incurring $11,934,794 in expenses. That boils down to a yearly profit of $956,526 for the sports team. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 945. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. On top of its placing in this ranking, UCLA also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis. Read full sports report on University of California - Los Angeles

2
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 21 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #2 spot on the list. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 5,642 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at USC made $7,241,439 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 967. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. USC also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. Read full sports report on University of Southern California

3
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Out of the 21 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #3 spot on the list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 1,699 bachelor’s degrees in . The team at Stanford took home $11,369,560 in revenue and paid out $7,315,705 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $4,053,855 in profit. The team has a great academic progress rate of 998, signifying that team members care about their grades. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Stanford not only placed well in this ranking, but it is also #2 on our overall quality list. Full Stanford University Sports Report

4

A rank of #4 on our list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for D1 Men’s Basketball athletes in California working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Berkeley, California, the large public school handed out 10,103 bachelor’s degrees in . The team at UC Berkeley took home $8,487,064 in revenue and paid out $7,532,218 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $954,846 in profit. The academic progress rate of the team is 960. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, UC Berkeley is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full University of California - Berkeley Sports Report

5

You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 in this year’s ranking. Located in Davis, California, the large public school handed out 9,615 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at UC Davis took home $2,378,571 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 975. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. UC Davis also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. Read full sports report on University of California - Davis

6
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Santa Clara, California, and it awarded 1,587 bachelor’s degrees in . The D1 Men’s Basketball team at SCU brought home $4,997,998 in revenue in a single year. The academic progress rate of the team is 975. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. SCU also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. Read More…

7
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #7, University of San Francisco did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,626 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . The D1 Men’s Basketball team at USFCA brought home $5,171,965 in revenue in a single year. The academic progress rate of the team is 957. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Read full sports report on University of San Francisco

8
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 8,969 students in . The D1 Men’s Basketball team at SDSU made $9,712,945 in revenue, while incurring $7,219,564 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $2,493,381, which isn’t bad at all. The academic progress rate of the team is 975. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Read full sports report on San Diego State University

9
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #9, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking. Loyola Marymount University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 1,787 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at Loyola Marymount took home $6,095,950 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 970. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Loyola Marymount also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. Read full sports report on Loyola Marymount University

10

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 9,011 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at UC Irvine made $3,481,855 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 955. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UC Irvine also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking. Read More…

11
USD crest
University of San Diego
San Diego, California

University of San Diego landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking. USD is located in San Diego, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 1,688 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The D1 Men’s Basketball team at USD brought home $2,837,973 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 975. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. USD excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full University of San Diego Sports Report

12
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Pepperdine University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Malibu, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 921 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at Pepperdine took home $4,185,927 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 960. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. On top of its placing in this ranking, Pepperdine also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis. Read More…

13
Pacific crest
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California

University of the Pacific landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking. Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stockton, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 869 bachelor’s degrees in . The D1 Men’s Basketball team at Pacific brought home $3,421,487 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 945. In addition to its great ranking here, Pacific is in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read More…

14

With a ranking of #14, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 4,987 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo took home $2,091,234 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 958. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Sports Report

15

California State University - Fullerton landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking. Located in Fullerton, California, the large public school handed out 9,717 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at Cal State Fullerton made $2,057,901 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 945. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Read More…

16
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California list. Located in San Jose, California, the large public school handed out 7,362 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at San Jose State took home $2,690,067 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 980, signifying that team members care about their grades. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Read More…

17

California State University - Long Beach landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 9,259 bachelor’s degrees in . The D1 Men’s Basketball team at CSULB brought home $2,596,004 in revenue in a single year. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Read More…

18

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 6,839 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at UCSB took home $3,254,694 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 952. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. UCSB excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read full sports report on University of California - Santa Barbara

19

With a ranking of #19, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 5,191 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The D1 Men’s Basketball team at Fresno State brought home $3,663,045 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 930. Read full sports report on California State University - Fresno

20

With a ranking of #20, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California ranking. Located in Riverside, California, the large public school handed out 5,880 bachelor’s degrees in . The team at UCR took home $2,069,156 in revenue and paid out $1,936,541 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $132,615, which isn’t bad at all. The academic progress rate of the team is 958. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. Full University of California - Riverside Sports Report

21

California State University - Sacramento ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball in California list. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 7,486 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The D1 Men’s Basketball team at Sac State brought home $2,000,411 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 995 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too. Full California State University - Sacramento Sports Report

Best Colleges for D1 Men's Basketball in the Far Western US Region

View Best Colleges for D1 Men’s Basketball in the Far Western US Region >

More Rankings >

Do You Want to Play Sports in College?
Get your FREE recruiting profile, assessment & game plan!

Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 21 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options