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2021 Best Colleges in California for Students from Germany

40 Colleges
$44,952 Avg Tuition & Fees*
59% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

International students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for German Students in California ranking is part of that endeavor.

Our analysis looked at 40 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for German students in California. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as the total number of international students at the school and the school's overall quality.

Find out more about our ranking methodology.

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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.

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Top Colleges in California for Students from Germany

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Our 2021 rankings named Stanford University the best school for German students in California working on their bachelor’s degree. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,511 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 23.9% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Stanford are China, India, and Canada.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Stanford University Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. Located in Berkeley, California, the large public school handed out 10,523 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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.

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

Read full report on University of California - Berkeley

3

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for German students in California. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 5,745 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 22.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to USC to study.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read More…

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. Caltech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 227 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 30.5% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Caltech are China, India, and Canada.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on California Institute of Technology

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 in this year’s ranking. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 10,102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 13.8% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UCLA come from such countries as China, South Korea, and India.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on University of California - Los Angeles

6

University of California - San Diego came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for German Students in California ranking. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 9,086 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 21.4% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UCSD to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on University of California - San Diego

7

Pepperdine University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for German Students in California ranking. Pepperdine is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Malibu, California. It awarded 1,024 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 9.6% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Pepperdine are China, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.

Read full report on Pepperdine University

8

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in California. University of California - Irvine is a large public school located in Irvine, California that handed out 9,882 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 18.4% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UC Irvine to study.

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

Read More…

9

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for German Students in California list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, the large public school awarded 7,001 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 14.9% are international. 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.

Read full report on University of California - Santa Barbara

10

University of California - Davis landed the #10 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in California. Located in Davis, California, the large public school handed out 9,846 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 17.5% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UC Davis are China, India, and South Korea.

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

Read full report on University of California - Davis

11

California State University - Fullerton landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in California. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10,010 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 5.9% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as India, China, and Kuwait come to Cal State Fullerton to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Fullerton Report

12

University of San Diego landed the #12 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in California. San Diego, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,672 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 5.7% are international. Students studying at USD come from such countries as China, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

Read full report on University of San Diego

13

California State University - Long Beach landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in California. Located in Long Beach, California, the large public school awarded 9,179 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 6.0% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at CSULB come from such countries as India, China, and Japan.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read More…

14

University of San Francisco came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for German Students in California ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,682 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 12.7% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at USFCA come from such countries as China, India, and Indonesia.

Full University of San Francisco Report

15

Loyola Marymount University landed the #15 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in California. 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. The top three countries sending students to study at Loyola Marymount are Indonesia, China, and Saudi Arabia.

Full Loyola Marymount University Report

16
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for German Students in California ranking. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clara, California. It awarded 1,656 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 11.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at SCU come from such countries as India, China, and Taiwan.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Santa Clara University

17

San Diego State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for German Students in California list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 8,719 students 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 More…

18

With a ranking of #18, Chapman University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in California. Orange, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,944 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 4.6% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Chapman are China, Saudi Arabia, and India.

Read full report on Chapman University

19

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for German Students in California list. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, the large public school handed out 5,421 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 2.2% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are China, India, and South Korea.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

20

With a ranking of #20, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in California. San Jose State University is a large public school located in San Jose, California that handed out 7,192 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 10.2% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as India, China, and Vietnam come to San Jose State to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read More…

21

University of California - Riverside landed the #21 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in California. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 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 full report on University of California - Riverside

22

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in California ranking, coming in at #22. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,426 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 9.6% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UC Santa Cruz come from such countries as China, India, and Taiwan.

Read More…

23

California Institute of the Arts landed the #23 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in California. Valencia, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 182 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 26.7% are international. Students studying at CalArts come from such countries as China, South Korea, and Canada.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read More…

24

Saint Mary’s College of California did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students in California ranking, coming in at #24. Moraga, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 717 students in 2020-2021.

Around 2.7% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at SMC are China, Canada, and Australia.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Saint Mary’s College of California Report

25

California College of the Arts came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for German Students in California ranking. California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. 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.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on California College of the Arts

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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