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2021 Best Colleges in California for Students from China

68 Colleges
$48,972 Avg Tuition & Fees*
65% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

With all of the options international students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California ranking.

After analyzing 68 schools in California, we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for Chinese students in California. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, number of total international students at the school, and the percentage of international students on campus - to make this determination.

Get more details on our ranking methodology.

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Top Colleges in California for Students from China

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Our 2021 rankings named University of Southern California the best school for Chinese students in California working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 5,745 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 22.5% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to USC to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Southern California Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, the large public school awarded 9,086 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 21.4% are international. Students studying at UCSD come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - San Diego Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese students in California list. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10,523 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 16.2% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UC Berkeley are China, South Korea, and India.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Berkeley Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. This large public school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 10,102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 13.8% are international. Students studying at UCLA come from such countries as China, South Korea, and India.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read More…

5

Out of the 68 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #5 spot on the list. This large public school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 9,882 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 18.4% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UC Irvine are China, India, and South Korea.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

6

University of California - Davis ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California list. Located in Davis, California, the large public school awarded 9,846 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 17.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UC Davis to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full University of California - Davis Report

7

Stanford University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California list. Located in Stanford, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,511 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 23.9% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Stanford are China, India, and Canada.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Stanford University

8

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #8 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 7,001 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 14.9% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UCSB come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Report

9

California Institute of Technology ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California list. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 227 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 30.5% are international. Students studying at Caltech come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on California Institute of Technology

10

Pepperdine University landed the #10 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California. Located in Malibu, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 1,024 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 9.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Pepperdine come from such countries as China, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.

Full Pepperdine University Report

11

With a ranking of #11, University of San Francisco did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California. USFCA is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,682 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 12.7% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at USFCA come from such countries as China, India, and Indonesia.

Full University of San Francisco Report

12
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California ranking, coming in at #12. SCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Clara, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,656 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 11.3% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at SCU are India, China, and Taiwan.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read full report on Santa Clara University

13

University of California - Riverside ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California list. Located in Riverside, California, the large public school handed out 6,193 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 7.7% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at UCR are China, India, and Taiwan.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read More…

14

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #14 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5,426 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 9.6% are international. Students studying at UC Santa Cruz come from such countries as China, India, and Taiwan.

Read full report on University of California - Santa Cruz

15

Claremont McKenna College did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California ranking, coming in at #15. Claremont McKenna is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 431 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 14.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Claremont McKenna come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Claremont McKenna College

16

Loyola Marymount University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California ranking, coming in at #16. Loyola Marymount is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,856 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 9.5% are international. Students studying at Loyola Marymount come from such countries as Indonesia, China, and Saudi Arabia.

Read full report on Loyola Marymount University

17

University of San Diego came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California ranking. USD is located in San Diego, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,672 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 5.7% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia come to USD to study.

Full University of San Diego Report

18
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, CA

Pomona College did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California ranking, coming in at #18. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 395 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 11.1% are international. Students studying at Pomona come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Pomona College Report

19

With a ranking of #19, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7,192 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 10.2% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at San Jose State are India, China, and Vietnam.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full San Jose State University Report

20

San Diego State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California list. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 8,719 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 5.4% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and Kuwait come to SDSU to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on San Diego State University

21

With a ranking of #21, Chapman University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Orange, California, and it awarded 1,944 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 4.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Chapman come from such countries as China, Saudi Arabia, and India.

Read full report on Chapman University

22

University of the Pacific came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Stockton, California, and it awarded 872 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 7.5% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Pacific are China, South Korea, and India.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

23

With a ranking of #23, University of La Verne did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California. Located in La Verne, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,220 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 5.5% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at ULV come from such countries as China, Taiwan, and Qatar.

Full University of La Verne Report

24

California College of the Arts ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California list. California College of the Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 283 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 41.7% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at California College of the Arts come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on California College of the Arts

25
Oxy crest
Occidental College
Los Angeles, CA

Occidental College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Chinese Students in California ranking. Oxy is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 487 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 6.3% are international. Students from as far away as China, United Kingdom, and Hong Kong come to Oxy to study.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Occidental College

Best Colleges for International Students in the Far Western US Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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