2021 Best Colleges in California for Students from South Korea
53
Colleges
$45,032
Avg Tuition & Fees*
62%
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 South Korean Students in California ranking is part of that endeavor.
We analyzed 53 colleges and universities across California to determine which were the best for South Korean students in California. To come up with this ranking, we look at a number of factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include the school's overall quality as determined by our Best Colleges ranking and the percentage of international students on campus.
See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Top Colleges in California for Students from South Korea
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our analysis found University of Southern California to be the best school for South Korean students in California in this year’s ranking. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5,745 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Around 22.5% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at USC are China, India, and South Korea.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full University of Southern California Report
A rank of #2 on our list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for South Korean students in California working on their bachelor’s degree. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and 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.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of California - Berkeley Report
Out of the 53 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large public school handed out 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%.
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A rank of #4 on our list means University of California - San Diego is a great place for South Korean students in California working on their bachelor’s degree. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,086 students 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.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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A rank of #5 on our list means Stanford University is a great place for South Korean students in California 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 1,511 students 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.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Stanford University
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California. Located in Irvine, California, the large public school awarded 9,882 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 18.4% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at UC Irvine come from such countries as 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.
Full University of California - Irvine Report
University of California - Davis ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,846 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 17.5% are international. Students studying at UC Davis come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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California Institute of Technology ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California 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.
Around 30.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Caltech come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full California Institute of Technology Report
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Santa Barbara, California, the large public school handed out 7,001 bachelor’s degrees 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.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Report
With a ranking of #10, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 6,193 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 7.7% are international. Students studying at UCR come from such countries as China, India, and Taiwan.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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Santa Clara University landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California. Santa Clara University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Santa Clara, California that handed out 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.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Santa Clara University Report
Pepperdine University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California ranking. Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit institution located in Malibu, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,024 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 9.6% are international. Students studying at Pepperdine come from such countries as China, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.
Full Pepperdine University Report
Claremont McKenna College landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 431 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 14.2% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Claremont McKenna to study.
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.
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With a ranking of #14, Pomona College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California. 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.
Around 11.1% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Pomona are China, India, and South Korea.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
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Biola University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California ranking, coming in at #15. Located in La Mirada, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 826 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 9.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as South Korea, Indonesia, and China come to Biola to study.
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California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California ranking, coming in at #16. This large public school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 9,179 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 6.0% are international. Students from as far away as India, China, and Japan come to CSULB 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…
With a ranking of #17, University of San Francisco did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean 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.
Of the total number of students at the school, 12.7% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at USFCA are China, India, and Indonesia.
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University of the Pacific did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Stockton, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 872 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 7.5% are international. Students studying at Pacific come from such countries as China, South Korea, and India.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of the Pacific Report
With a ranking of #19, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California. Located in San Jose, California, the large public school awarded 7,192 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 10.2% are 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.
Read More…
Soka University of America ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California list. Located in Aliso Viejo, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 85 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 48.4% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Soka University are Japan, Nepal, and India.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Soka University of America Report
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #21 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California. 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.
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San Diego State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California ranking. San Diego State University is a large public school located in San Diego, California that handed out 8,719 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 5.4% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Kuwait come to SDSU to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read More…
Loyola Marymount University landed the #23 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California. Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,856 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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
California Institute of the Arts did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California ranking, coming in at #24. California Institute of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school located in Valencia, California that handed out 182 bachelor’s degrees 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.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 the Arts
California State University - Fullerton came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for South Korean Students in California ranking. This large public school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 10,010 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 5.9% are 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.
Read full report on California State University - Fullerton
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