Best Colleges in California 2026

California hosts some of the nation's strongest higher education institutions, with 103 colleges and universities meeting our ranking criteria. The top 5 schools showcase the state's balanced mix of world-class public and private options, with UC Berkeley and UCLA representing the public sector alongside private powerhouses like Stanford, Caltech, and Harvey Mudd. These leading institutions excel across multiple metrics including academic quality, research output, student outcomes, and return on investment. When evaluating California schools, students should consider factors like program strength in their intended major, campus culture, location preferences, and total cost of attendance. The state's diverse educational landscape offers pathways for students across all academic interests and career goals.

Schools Ranked

$89,148

Avg. Earnings

80.8%

Avg. Graduation Rate

Top 25 Schools

College rankings
#	School	Graduation Rate	Median Earnings	Acceptance Rate	In-State Tuition
1	University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, California	92.9%	$92,446	11.3%	$14,850
2	Harvey Mudd College Claremont, California	93.8%	$138,687	13.4%	$66,255
3	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, California	92.7%	$82,511	8.6%	$13,747
4	California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California	93.2%	$128,566	2.7%	$63,255
5	Stanford University Stanford, California	92.8%	$124,080	3.7%	$62,484
6	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, California	85.2%	$90,768	30.4%	$11,075
7	University of California-San Diego La Jolla, California	87.6%	$84,943	23.7%	$15,265
8	University of California-Irvine Irvine, California	86.0%	$80,735	21.2%	$14,237
9	Claremont McKenna College Claremont, California	95.2%	$104,736	10.4%	$64,150
10	University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, California	85.3%	$74,915	25.9%	$14,965
11	University of California-Davis Davis, California	85.1%	$80,838	37.3%	$15,247
12	Gnomon Hollywood, California	66.7%	$114,785	49.2%	$34,215
13	University of Southern California Los Angeles, California	92.0%	$92,498	12.0%	$68,237
14	West Coast University-Orange County Anaheim, California	64.3%	$102,672		$22,685
15	San Diego State University San Diego, California	78.3%	$64,909	39.3%	$8,290
16	California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, California	69.9%	$64,403	40.0%	$7,008
17	Pomona College Claremont, California	93.2%	$77,779	7.0%	$62,326
18	Santa Clara University Santa Clara, California	88.5%	$109,183	52.1%	$59,241
19	University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California	74.5%	$68,396	46.9%	$14,560
20	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, California	66.7%	$71,902	55.4%	$7,439
21	California State University Maritime Academy Vallejo, California	66.8%	$94,784	95.5%	$7,672
22	De Anza College Cupertino, California	67.8%	$56,596		$1,562
23	Interior Designers Institute Newport Beach, California	87.5%	$54,974		$20,250
24	San Jose State University San Jose, California	64.7%	$78,988	76.7%	$7,992
25	American University of Health Sciences Signal Hill, California	50.0%	$93,610		$24,575