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2021 Best Colleges in California for Students from Italy

24 Colleges
$42,115 Avg Tuition & Fees*
54% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

When pursuing a degree in today's world, international students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Italian Students in California ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

We analyzed 24 colleges and universities across California to determine which were the best for Italian students in California. Our ranking is based on several objective factors, including the school's overall quality and the total number of international students at the school. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.

Learn 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 Italy

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Our analysis found University of Southern California to be the best school for Italian students in California in this year’s ranking. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 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.

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

Read full report on University of Southern California

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Italian students in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 10,102 students in 2020-2021.

Around 13.8% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UCLA 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.

Read More…

3

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Stanford University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Italian students in California. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 1,511 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 23.9% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Stanford to study.

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

Read More…

4

Out of the 24 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #4 spot on the list. 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.

International students make up 30.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Caltech to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on California Institute of Technology

5

Out of the 24 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #5 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 10,523 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 16.2% of the total student body at the school. 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

6

University of California - San Diego landed the #6 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Italian Students in California. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,086 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 21.4% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UCSD are China, India, and South Korea.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

7

University of California - Davis landed the #7 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Italian Students in California. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9,846 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 17.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UC Davis to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on University of California - Davis

8

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Italian Students in California ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Irvine, California, the large public school awarded 9,882 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 18.4% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at UC Irvine 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 More…

9

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Italian Students in California ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 7,001 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 14.9% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UCSB to study.

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

Loyola Marymount University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Italian Students in California ranking, coming in at #10. 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.

International students make up 9.5% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Loyola Marymount come from such countries as Indonesia, China, and Saudi Arabia.

Read More…

11

University of San Diego did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Italian Students in California ranking, coming in at #11. USD is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 1,672 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 5.7% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at USD are China, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

Read full report on University of San Diego

12

With a ranking of #12, Pepperdine University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Italian Students in California. Located in Malibu, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,024 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 9.6% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Pepperdine are China, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.

Read More…

13

University of San Francisco ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for Italian Students in California list. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 1,682 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 12.7% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at USFCA are China, India, and Indonesia.

Full University of San Francisco Report

14

San Diego State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Italian Students in California ranking. Located in San Diego, California, the large public school handed out 8,719 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 5.4% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at SDSU are China, India, and Kuwait.

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

Read More…

15

Chapman University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Italian Students in California ranking, coming in at #15. Chapman is located in Orange, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,944 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 4.6% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Chapman are China, Saudi Arabia, and India.

Full Chapman University Report

16

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Italian Students in California list. This fairly large public school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 5,426 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 9.6% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at UC Santa Cruz are China, India, and Taiwan.

Read More…

17

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #17 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Italian Students in California. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,421 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 2.2% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to study.

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

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

18

California Institute of the Arts landed the #18 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Italian Students in California. Located in Valencia, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 182 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 26.7% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at CalArts are 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…

19

California College of the Arts came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Italian Students in California ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 283 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 41.7% are 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 More…

20

With a ranking of #20, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Italian Students in California. Located in Long Beach, California, the large public school handed out 9,179 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 6.0% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at CSULB are India, China, and Japan.

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

Read More…

21

San Jose State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for Italian Students in California list. 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.

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

Read full report on San Jose State University

22

California State University - Fullerton ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for Italian Students in California list. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 10,010 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 5.9% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Cal State Fullerton are India, China, and Kuwait.

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

Full California State University - Fullerton Report

23

San Francisco State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for Italian Students in California list. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6,627 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 6.8% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and Japan come to SFSU to study.

Full San Francisco State University Report

24

With a ranking of #24, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Italian Students in California. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,572 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 6.2% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at CSUN are Kuwait, China, and India.

Full California State University - Northridge Report

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 24 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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