Best Colleges in California 2026

California has 475 colleges and universities in our database; 338 report the graduation-rate data our ranking requires. The top 25 are ranked below by a fixed four-factor formula: 6-year graduation rate (30%), median earnings 10 years after entry (30%), admission selectivity (20%), and in-state tuition affordability (20%).

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