Top Ranked Colleges: Universities | Public Universities | Liberal Arts Colleges | Engineering | Business | Women's | Most Selective
California has some of the best colleges in the country. The University of California system has many strengths, and California has both strong liberal arts colleges and private research universities. The 12 top colleges listed below vary so much in size and type of school that I have simply listed them alphabetically rather than force them into any sort of artificial ranking.
- Compare Top California Colleges: SAT Scores | ACT Scores
- Compare University of California Schools: SAT Scores | ACT Scores
- Compare Cal State Schools: SAT Scores | ACT Scores
Berkeley (University of California at Berkeley)
phoosh / Flickr
- Location: Berkeley, California
- Enrollment: 35,396 (25,151 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: public research university
- Distinctions: one of the 11 University of California schools; member of the Association of American Universities for strong research programs; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; member of the NCAA Division I Pacific 10 Conference; vibrant cultural environment in the San Francisco Bay area
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Berkeley profile
- GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Berkeley
Caltech (California Institute of Technology)
Velo Steve / Flickr
- Location: Pasadena, California
- Enrollment: 2,126 (921 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private engineering university
- Distinctions: one of the top engineering schools; amazing 3 to 1 student / faculty ratio; member of the Association of American Universities for strong research programs
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Caltech profile
- GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Caltech
Claremont McKenna College
Bazookajoe1 / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Claremont, California
- Enrollment: 1,135 (all undergraduate)
- Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
- Distinctions: high ranking liberal arts college; one of the most selective colleges in the country; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; cross-registration with the other Claremont Colleges
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Claremont McKenna profile
- GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Claremont McKenna
Harvey Mudd College
Imagine / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Claremont, California
- Enrollment: 735 (all undergraduate)
- Type of Institution: undergraduate engineering college
- Distinctions: one of the top undergraduate engineering colleges; engineering curriculum grounded in the liberal arts; member of the Claremont Colleges with Scripps College, Pitzer College, Claremont McKenna College, and Pomona College
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Harvey Mudd profile
- GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Harvey Mudd
Occidental College
Geographer / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Enrollment: 1,868 (1,846 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
- Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; diverse student body; blend of urban and suburban advantages -- located just eight miles from downtown Los Angeles
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Occidental College profile
- GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Occidental
Pepperdine University
John Beagle / Flickr
- Location: Malibu, California
- Enrollment: 7,614 (3,404 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private research university
- Distinctions: 830-acre campus overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Malibu; strong programs in business and communications; member of the NCAA Division I West Coast Conference; affiliated with the Churches of Christ
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Pepperdine University profile
- GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Pepperdine
Pomona College
CMLLovesDegus / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Claremont, California
- Enrollment: 1,547 (all undergraduate)
- Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
- Distinctions: one of the 10 top liberal arts colleges in the country; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; member of the Claremont Colleges; 8 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 14
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Pomona College profile
- GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Pomona
Scripps College
Mllerustad / Flickr
- Location: Claremont, California
- Enrollment: 972 (954 undergrads)
- Type of Institution: private women's liberal arts college
- Distinctions: one of the top women's colleges in the country; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; member of the Claremont Colleges
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Scripps College profile
- GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Scripps
Stanford University
jillclardy / Flickr
- Location: Stanford, California
- Enrollment: 19,782 (6,584 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private research university
- Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for research strengths; one of the top 10 universities in the country; member of the NCAA Division I Pacific 10 Conference
- For more information and admissions data, visit the Stanford University profile
- GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Stanford
UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles)
saturnism / flickr
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Enrollment: 37,476 (25,928 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: public research university
- Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for research strengths; part of the University of California system; one of the top-ranked public universities in the country; member of the NCAA Division I Pacific 10 Conference
- Explore the Campus: UCLA photo tour
- For more information and admissions data, visit the UCLA profile
- GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UCLA
UCSD (University of California at San Diego)
kafka4prez / Flickr
- Location: San Diego, California
- Enrollment: 26,247 (21,369 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: public research university
- Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappafor strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for research strengths; part of the University of California system; one of the top-ranked public universities in the country; one of the top-ranked engineering schools
- For more information and admissions data, visit the UCSD profile
- GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UCSD
USC (University of Southern California)
koyochi / Flickr
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Enrollment: 33,408 (16,384 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private research university
- Distinctions: member of the Association of American Universities for its research strengths; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; over 130 majors to choose from; member of the NCAA Division I Pac 12 Conference
- Explore the Campus: USC Photo Tour
- For more information and admissions data, visit the USC profile
- GPA, SAT and ACT graph for USC
