College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
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2024 Best Colleges in California

168 Colleges
$76,908 Avg Salary*
69% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

When pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Top California Colleges ranking.

Our analysis looked at 168 schools in California to determine which ones were the best in terms of overall quality. Our ranking methodology focuses on over 20 different objective factors - such as graduation rate, post graduate earnings, and a school's average expenditure per student - to make this determination.

Learn more about our ranking methodology.

Custom Rankings

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 and field of study. 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 veterans or returnings adults.

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You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering!

Top Colleges in California

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Our 2024 rankings named Stanford University the best school in California in terms of overall quality for students working on their bachelor’s degree.Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,821 students in 2020-2021.

With a student-to-faculty rate of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Stanford make an average of $97,798 per year during the early years of their career.

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2
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in California. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 17,749 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $83,426 during the early years of their career..

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3
Claremont McKenna crest
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Claremont McKenna College. The school came in at #3 in California on this year’s overall quality ranking.Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 441 students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $86,571 during the early years of their career..

Read full report on Claremont McKenna College

4

Out of the 168 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14,685 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $80,364 during the early years of their career..

Read full report on University of California - Berkeley

5

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in California. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14,587 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 80%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from UCLA make an average of $73,744 a year.

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6

California Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in California ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Pasadena, California, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 527 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a student-to-faculty rate of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $112,166 during the early years of their career..

Full California Institute of Technology Report

7
Harvey Mudd College crest
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California

Harvey Mudd College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in California ranking. Harvey Mudd College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 197 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 86%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $108,988 during the early years of their career..

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8

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in California ranking, coming in at #8. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 11,974 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UCSD go into careers with an average salary of $74,771 during the early years of their career.

Full University of California - San Diego Report

9
KGI crest
Keck Graduate Institute
Claremont, California

Keck Graduate Institute did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in California ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Claremont, California, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 337 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Keck Graduate Institute

10

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges in California list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7,875 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from UCSB make an average of $66,491 a year.

Read full report on University of California - Santa Barbara

11
Fielding crest
Fielding Graduate University
Santa Barbara, California

With a ranking of #11, Fielding Graduate University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in California list. Fielding is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 356 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%

Full Fielding Graduate University Report

12
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Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in California ranking.Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,849 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $93,291 during the early years of their career..

Read full report on Santa Clara University

13

University of California - Davis ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges in California list. This large public school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 11,996 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis make an average of $69,766 per year during the early years of their career.

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14
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, California

Pomona College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in California ranking, coming in at #14. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 395 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The 4-year grad rate at the school is 89%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $69,149 during the early years of their career..

Full Pomona College Report

15

University of California - Irvine ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges in California list. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12,345 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine is $71,961 during the early years of their career.

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16
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

With a ranking of #16, Pepperdine University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in California list. Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit institution located in Malibu, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,240 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine make an average of $72,035 per year during the early years of their career.

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17

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in California ranking.San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,951 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo make an average of $80,643 per year during the early years of their career.

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18
USU crest
United States University
San Diego, California

United States University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges in California list. United States University is a small private for-profit school located in San Diego, California that handed out 508 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from USU go into careers with an average salary of $70,933 during the early years of their career.

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19

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in California ranking.Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 6,014 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz make an average of $58,112 per year during the early years of their career.

Read full report on University of California - Santa Cruz

20
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in California ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Los Angeles, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,979 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

The low student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount is $68,701 during the early years of their career.

Read full report on Loyola Marymount University

21
Foothill College crest
Foothill College
Los Altos Hills, California

With a ranking of #21, Foothill College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in California list. Foothill College is a public institution located in Los Altos Hills, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,354 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Foothill College is $58,157 during the early years of their career.

Read full report on Foothill College

22
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in California ranking. San Diego State University is a large public school located in San Diego, California that handed out 10,590 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $59,027 during the early years of their career..

Read More…

23
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges in California list. Located in San Jose, California, the large public school handed out 10,298 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from San Jose State go into careers with an average salary of $67,365 during the early years of their career.

Read full report on San Jose State University

24
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in California ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 3,524 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from USFCA make an average of $78,031 a year.

Read full report on University of San Francisco

25
Oxy crest
Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

Occidental College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges in California list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 487 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Oxy is $67,388 during the early years of their career.

Full Occidental College Report

Rest of the Top 15% Best Colleges in California

Not only did these schools make the top 26 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26

Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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Honorable Mentions

These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
27Claremont Graduate UniversityClaremont, CA
28California State University - Long BeachLong Beach, CA
29University of San DiegoSan Diego, CA
30Saint Mary’s College of CaliforniaMoraga, CA
31Golden West CollegeHuntington Beach, CA
32Chapman UniversityOrange, CA
33National UniversitySan Diego, CA
34Middlebury Institute of International Studies at MontereyMonterey, CA

More Rankings >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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