California has one of the best state university systems in the country, and three of the schools below made my list of top public universities. The nine universities that offer undergraduate degrees are listed here from the most to least selective. Follow the profile link to get data related to admission standards, costs, and financial aid.
San Francisco also has a University of California campus, but it is dedicated exclusively to graduate study.
Be sure to check out these other University of California articles:
1. UC Berkeley
phoosh / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate (2012): 22%
- Enrollment: 36,137 (25,885 undergraduates)
- Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; one of the top public universities; top 10 engineering program; top 10 business school; member of the Association of American Universities; member of the NCAA Division I Pacific 10 Conference
- Admissions: Berkeley GPA and Test Score Graph
- For more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the Berkeley profile
2. UCLA
_gene_ / flickr
- Acceptance Rate (2012): 27%
- Enrollment: 39,271 (27,199 undergraduates)
- Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; one of the top public universities; top 20 engineering program; member of the Association of American Universities; member of the NCAA Division I Pacific 10 Conference
- Explore the Campus: UCLA photo tour
- Admissions: UCLA GPA and Test Score Graph
- For more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UCLA profile
3. UC San Diego
kafka4prez / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate (2012): 35%
- Enrollment: 28,593 (23,046 undergraduates)
- Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; one of the top public universities; top 20 engineering program; member of the Association of American Universities; highly regarded Scripps Institute of Oceanography
- Explore the Campus: UCSD Photo Tour
- Admissions: UCSD GPA and Test Score Graph
- For more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UCSD profile
4. UC Santa Barbara
doopokko / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate (2012): 46%
- Enrollment: 21,685 (18,620 undergraduates)
- Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; member of the Association of American Universities; member of the NCAA Division I Big West Conference
- Admissions: UCSB GPA and Test Score Graph
- For more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UCSB profile
5. UC Irvine
Ned Raggett / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate (2012): 47%
- Enrollment: 27,189 (22,004 undergraduates)
- Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; member of the Association of American Universities; many highly-ranked programs including biology and health sciences, criminology, English, and psychology; member of the NCAA Division I Big West Conference
- Explore the Campus: UC Irvine photo tour
- Admissions: UC Irvine GPA and Test Score Graph
- For more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UC Irvine profile
6. UC Davis
ludius / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate (2012): 48%
- Enrollment: 31,732 (25,038 undergraduates)
- Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; member of the Association of American Universities; huge 5,300-acre campus; highly ranked public university; member of the NCAA Division I Big West Conference
- Admissions: UC Davis GPA and Test Score Graph
- For more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UC Davis profile
7. UC Santa Cruz
the tahoe guy / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate (2012): 67%
- Enrollment: 17,454 (15,954 undergraduates)
- Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; high number of students go on to earn doctorates; campus overlooks Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean; progressive curriculum
- Admissions: UC Santa Cruz GPA and Test Score Graph
- For more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UCSC profile
8. UC Riverside
gtrwndr87 / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate (2012): 68%
- Enrollment: 20,900 (18,522 undergraduates)
- Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; one of the most ethnically diverse research universities in the country; highly popular business program; member of the NCAA Division I Big West Conference
- Admissions: UC Riverside GPA and Test Score Graph
- For more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UC Riverside profile
9. UC Merced
r_neches / Flickr
- Acceptance Rate (2012): 80%
- Enrollment: 5,198
- Distinctions: first new research university of the 21st century; state-of-the-art construction for minimal environmental impact
- Admissions: UC Merced GPA and Test Score Graph
- For more admissions data, costs and financial aid information, check out the UC Merced profile
