The best colleges in California for 2027 are Stanford University, the California Institute of Technology, and Harvey Mudd College, followed by UCLA and Pomona College. The best colleges in the state tend to offer challenging coursework, hands-on experience, strong athletics, and plenty of support for students who need it.

What makes California such a good place to study? The state offers many great schools, from private research universities and small liberal arts colleges to the University of California and California State University systems. The state also has beaches, mountains, big cities, and a strong economy with jobs in many industries. If you plan to study from home, check out our guide to online colleges in California, where students interested in aerospace engineering can compare more options. You can also read the University Magazine rankings methodology and see our university rankings for context.

The Best Colleges in California 2027

 

1. Stanford University

Stanford University sits on the San Francisco Peninsula in the middle of Silicon Valley. Leland and Jane Stanford founded it in 1885 in memory of their only child, and it opened in 1891. About 17,500 students were enrolled in fall 2023, and the university admitted roughly 3.7 percent of first-time freshmen in 2022, one of the lowest rates in the country.

The Stanford Research Park, founded in 1951, was the world’s first university research park, and Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Google, and Yahoo all trace their origins to people or work at Stanford. The university has been associated with 58 Nobel laureates, its endowment reached $40.8 billion in 2025, and its teams have won 137 NCAA titles. Few schools combine research, startups, and sports this well.

 

2. California Institute of Technology

The California Institute of Technology, or Caltech, is small on purpose. Amos Throop started it in 1891 as a vocational school in Pasadena, and it took its current name in 1920. Today, it has about 2,430 students on a 124-acre campus, 987 of them undergraduates, and admitted just 2.6 percent of applicants in 2024.

Caltech runs NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and helps operate observatories like Palomar and W. M. Keck. Forty-eight alumni and faculty have won Nobel Prizes, and Linus Pauling is still the only person to win two unshared ones. Students live under an honour code that allows take-home exams, which says a lot about the trust built into the place.

 

3. Harvey Mudd College

Harvey Mudd College is a private college in Claremont that focuses on science, engineering, and math. It opened in 1957 with 48 students, and today about 913 undergraduates study there. Everyone completes a Common Core Curriculum, and students take courses in computer science, chemistry, physics, and the humanities.

It awards Bachelor of Science degrees in chemistry, mathematics, physics, computer science, biology, and engineering, and engineering and computer science are the most popular choices. U.S. News ranked it 12th among liberal arts colleges in 2025 and third for undergraduate engineering. PayScale put it first for return on investment in 2024, and the college is need-blind for domestic applicants.

 

4. University of California – Los Angeles

The University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) grew out of an 1881 normal school and moved to its Westwood campus in 1929. About 31,600 undergraduates and 14,300 graduate and professional students enroll each year. For fall 2025, it admitted about 9 percent of first-time freshman applicants, so competition is steep.

UCLA spent $1.72 billion on research in 2024, seventh in the country. It has the College of Letters and Science plus twelve professional schools, including medicine, dentistry, engineering, and nursing, and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is part of its health system. U.S. News ranked it second among public universities in 2026. The Bruins compete in the Big Ten and have won 126 NCAA team titles.

 

5. Pomona College

Pomona College began in 1887 in Pomona, then moved to Claremont, where it covers 140 acres near the San Gabriel Mountains. About 1,690 undergraduates study here; the average class has 15 students, and the college admitted 7.1 percent of applicants for the 2024 entering class.

Pomona offers 48 majors and about 650 courses a semester, and students can cross-register at the other Claremont Colleges for roughly 2,700 in total. The college meets full demonstrated need with grants instead of loans and offers no merit or athletic scholarships. The College also has a beautiful campus, and 98 percent of the 2023 entering class returned for a second year. U.S. News tied it for fifth among liberal arts colleges in 2025.

 

6. Claremont McKenna College

Claremont McKenna College is a private liberal arts college in Claremont. It started in 1946 as Claremont Men’s College with 86 students, many of them World War II veterans on the G.I. Bill, and took its current name in 1981. For the class of 2029, it admitted 655 of 6,939 applicants, or 9.4 percent.

Economics, government, psychology, and international relations are among its 33 most popular majors, and the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance opened in 2007. Research institutes like the Rose Institute of State and Local Government and the Kravis Leadership Institute give students real projects. About 96 percent of students live on campus, and U.S. News tied CMC for third among liberal arts colleges in its 2027 edition.

 

7. University of Southern California

The University of Southern California (USC) is California’s oldest private research university. Robert Widney founded it in 1880, and its University Park campus sits about two miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles. In 2024, about 47,100 students were enrolled, and it admitted 9.9 percent of the fall 2023 freshman class.

USC has the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences and 22 other schools, and more than 375,000 living alumni make up the Trojan Network. Its athletes had won 326 Olympic medals as of 2021, more than any other American university. The Trojans now play in the Big Ten, and U.S. News placed USC 20th among national universities in 2025. Its film and media connections run deep.

 

8. University of California – Berkeley

The University of California – Berkeley was founded in 1868 as the state’s first land-grant university and is the original campus of the University of California system. It enrolled 45,882 students in fall 2024, and it admitted about 11 percent of first-time freshmen for fall 2025.

Sixty-three Nobel Prize winners are tied to Berkeley, and researchers there are credited with discovering sixteen chemical elements. It has 15 colleges and schools, including Haas and Engineering, and U.S. News and Forbes both name it the top public university. The Free Speech Movement started here in 1964, and the Golden Bears joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024.

 

9. University of California – San Diego

The University of California – San Diego was established in 1960 in La Jolla and has grown to 46,178 students, 35,442 of them undergraduates. It admitted 28 percent of first-year applicants for fall 2025. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography, one of the world’s largest earth science research centers, was the campus’s starting point.

Undergraduates join one of eight residential colleges, each with its own requirements and identity, from Revelle to the newest, Eighth College. UC San Diego is an R1 research university, and the Keeling Curve, the long record of rising carbon dioxide, was built here. U.S. News ranked it sixth among public universities in 2025. The Geisel Library, named for Dr. Seuss, is a campus landmark.

 

10. University of California – Davis

The University of California – Davis began as the University Farm, which opened for instruction in January 1909 and became a general UC campus in 1959. At 7,331 acres, it is the largest campus in the UC system. In fall 2023, it enrolled 40,848 students, and in fall 2025, it admitted 44 percent of first-time freshmen.

Its School of Veterinary Medicine is the largest in the country and ranks first nationally. Agriculture and plant and animal science remain strengths, and UC Davis is classified as an R1 research university. The Aggies compete in the Big West Conference, and most teams move to the Mountain West on July 1, 2026. It suits students who want serious science with room to spread out.

 

11. University of California – Irvine

The University of California-Irvine opened on October 4, 1965, with 1,589 students and was named for the landowner James Irvine, not the city. In 2024, about 37,300 students were enrolled, and it admitted around 29 percent of first-year applicants for fall 2025. It has been a member of the Association of American Universities since 1996.

Five Nobel winners are tied to UCI, including Frank Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina, who shared the 1995 Chemistry prize. The UCI Machine Learning Repository, created in 1987, is still a staple of artificial intelligence research. U.S. News tied UCI for eighth among public universities in its 2027 edition, and its criminology graduate program ranked second nationally.

 

12. University of California – Santa Barbara

The University of California – Santa Barbara (UCSB) sits on the Pacific coast and traces back to the Anna Blake School, founded in 1891. It became a full UC campus in 1958 and enrolled about 26,100 students in fall 2024. It joined the Association of American Universities in 1995.

The campus hosts 12 national research centers, including the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and the California NanoSystems Institute. Faculty Nobel winners include Shuji Nakamura, David Gross, Alan Heeger, Walter Kohn, and Herbert Kroemer. Forbes ranked UCSB fifth among public universities in 2024, and the Gauchos, who play in the Big West, have a surf team with several national titles. Few campuses make learning and the beach this easy to combine.

 

13. Santa Clara University

Italian Jesuits founded Santa Clara University in 1851, and it is described as the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The campus centers on Mission Santa Clara de Asis, founded in 1777. About 9,600 students enroll, and the student-to-faculty ratio is 11:1.

It has six schools, including the Leavey School of Business, the School of Engineering, and the School of Law. In May 2026, the university announced a new medical school with Sutter Health, backed by a $175 million gift. The Class of 2027 admit rate was 42 percent. U.S. News tied it for 17th in undergraduate teaching in 2026, and the Broncos play in the West Coast Conference.

 

14. Cal Poly

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was founded in 1901, and the oldest of the three California State University polytechnic campuses opened for classes in 1903. In fall 2025, about 22,300 undergraduates and 930 graduate students were enrolled, and roughly 30 percent of first-time freshman applicants were admitted.

The school lives by “Learn by Doing,” and every undergraduate completes a senior project. It has six colleges, from Agriculture to Engineering and the Orfalea College of Business. U.S. News ranked it first among Regional Universities West in 2025 and has called it the top public school in the West for 33 years. Cal Poly merged with Cal Maritime in July 2025, and it runs the largest on-campus housing program in the CSU system.

 

15. Thomas Aquinas College

Thomas Aquinas College is a small Catholic liberal arts college in Santa Paula that opened in 1971. It added a second campus in Northfield, Massachusetts, in 2019, and it holds WASC accreditation. About 566 undergraduates attend, and everyone earns the same degree: a Bachelor of Arts in liberal arts.

The program is built on the Great Books, and students read original texts instead of textbooks. The college takes no federal funding or Church funding, so aid is need-based and paid for by private donors, with no merit scholarships. SmartAsset ranked it eighth on its 2026 list of best value small colleges. It is an unusual choice, and a good one for students who want a single shared curriculum.

 

16. University of California – Riverside

The University of California – Riverside grew out of the UC Citrus Experiment Station, started in 1907, and its undergraduate college opened in February 1954 with 127 students. It became a general campus in 1959. In 2022, about 26,800 students were enrolled, and UCR is an R1 university and a member of the Association of American Universities.

U.S. News ranked UCR first for social mobility in 2026, the seventh year in a row. Hispanic students make up 40 percent of undergraduates, and the campus has the highest share of African American students in the UC system. The Citrus Variety Collection is described as the largest of its kind in the world. UCR is more accessible than other UC campuses, with an 87 percent freshman admit rate for fall 2025.

 

17. Pitzer College

Pitzer College is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, founded in 1963 as a women’s college and coeducational since 1970. It has about 1,000 to 1,200 undergraduates and a 10-to-1 student-faculty ratio. It offers 41 majors and 22 minors, many of them cross-disciplinary, with strengths in the social and behavioural sciences and media studies.

Social responsibility is built into the culture. Students, faculty, and staff give more than 100,000 hours of community service each year, and Pitzer has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honour Roll seven times. It also offers 58 study abroad programs. It went test-free starting with the fall 2022 cycle, and U.S. News tied it for 36th among liberal arts colleges in 2025.

 

18. Occidental College

Presbyterian clergy founded Occidental College in 1887, and it became non-sectarian in 1910. Myron Hunt designed its 120-acre Eagle Rock campus in Los Angeles, with landscaping by Beatrix Farrand, and it appears in many films and shows. About 1,850 students attend, with a 9-to-1 student-faculty ratio and an average class size of 18.

For fall 2024, the college received 6,461 applications and admitted 44.2 percent. Barack Obama spent two years at Occidental before transferring, and the college has produced 10 Rhodes Scholars. The Tigers are a founding member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. U.S. News tied Occidental for 34th among liberal arts colleges in 2025. Small seminars and a Los Angeles location are the main draws.

 

19. University of San Diego

The University of San Diego is a private Catholic university whose Alcalá Park campus sits on a mesa about two miles north of downtown, with views of Mission Bay and the Pacific. It was chartered in 1949 and took its current form when the college for women and the college for men and law merged in 1972.

About 9,000 students study across seven schools, including the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, and the School of Law. The Spanish Renaissance buildings helped earn Travel+Leisure recognition in 2022 as one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. The Wall Street Journal and College Pulse ranked it 47th in 2025, and the Toreros play in the West Coast Conference for most sports.

 

20. Stanbridge University – Orange County

Stanbridge University is a private, for-profit university with its flagship campus in Irvine. It was founded in 1996 and adopted the Stanbridge University name in 2017. Since then, it has added campuses in Alhambra, Riverside, and San Marcos, and about 1,800 students attend.

It focuses on health care. Programs include nursing, physical therapy, and occupational therapy, among them an Occupational Therapy Assistant program and a Physical Therapist Assistant program. The Accrediting Commission for Career Schools and Colleges has accredited it since 2004; the Bachelor of Science in Nursing has accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education; and the entry-level occupational therapy master’s program has ACOTE accreditation.

 

21. California State University – Long Beach Governor Earl Warren established 

California State University, Long Beach in 1949 to serve the booming Orange and southern Los Angeles counties. It enrolled 42,174 students in fall 2025, making it the CSU system’s second-largest campus, and admitted about 45 percent of first-time freshman applicants.

It offers 99 bachelor’s degrees, 103 master’s degrees, and five doctoral degrees on a 323-acre campus. U.S. News ranked it third nationally for social mobility, and it is a Hispanic-Serving Institution. The Beach compete in the Big West, and the men’s volleyball team has won four national titles. Steven Spielberg is among its alumni.

 

22. California State University – Sacramento

Sacramento State opened in 1947 as Sacramento State College and remains the city’s only major four-year comprehensive university. It enrolled about 30,900 students in fall 2024. The 305-acre campus has more than 3,500 trees, and the Julia Morgan House on campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Eight colleges cover everything from engineering and computer science to education, business, and health and human services. Sac State admitted 94 percent of first-time freshman applicants for fall 2025, so it is one of the more open options on this list. It is a federally recognized Hispanic-Serving Institution, and its football team joins the Mid-American Conference in 2026.

 

23. California State University – Stanislaus

Stanislaus State started in 1957 as Stanislaus State College, the 15th campus in the CSU system, and moved to its Turlock site in 1965. A permanent downtown Stockton campus followed in 1998. About 9,400 students enrolled in fall 2025, and the university admitted 95 percent of first-time freshman applicants.

Its four colleges include the College of Business Administration, which is AACSB-accredited. U.S. News ranked Stanislaus State ninth among Regional Universities West in 2026 and third for social mobility, and the Wall Street Journal ranked it 14th in the country for best value. The Warriors compete in NCAA Division II in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

 

24. San Diego State University

San Diego State University began in 1897 as the San Diego Normal School and is the city’s oldest higher education institution. It enrolled a record 41,184 students in fall 2025, and the first-time freshman admit rate was 37 percent. It is an R1 research university with the largest doctoral student body in the CSU system.

SDSU has eight colleges and more than 200 degree programs, and it is a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Its Imperial Valley campus in Calexico serves students near the border. U.S. News ranked it 117th among national universities in 2025. The Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I FBS, and athletes have won 14 Olympic medals. It is a large school in a major city with a strong research base.

 

25. Point Loma Nazarene University

Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a private Christian university affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene. Six laywomen started it in 1902 as Pacific Bible College, and it moved to its Point Loma campus in San Diego in 1973. About 4,500 students enrolled in fall 2023, including 3,158 undergraduates.

PLNU offers more than 60 bachelor’s programs, and business, health professions, psychology, and biology are among the most popular. It launched its first doctoral program, a Doctor of Nursing Practice, in 2017. The WASC Senior College and University Commission accredits it, and U.S. News tied it for 16th among Regional Universities West in 2025. The Sea Lions compete in NCAA Division II in the Pacific West Conference.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best colleges in California in 2027?

Stanford University, the California Institute of Technology, Harvey Mudd College, UCLA, and Pomona College lead this University Magazine list for 2027.

Which California colleges are the hardest to get into?

Caltech admitted 2.6 percent of applicants in 2024, and Stanford admitted about 3.7 percent of first-time freshmen in 2022. Pomona College admitted 7.1 percent for the 2024 entering class.

What are the Claremont Colleges?

The Claremont Colleges are a consortium of five undergraduate colleges, Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and Scripps, plus two graduate institutions. Four of the five undergraduate colleges are on this list, and students can take classes across campuses.

Which University of California campuses are on this list?

UCLA, Berkeley, San Diego, Davis, Irvine, Santa Barbara, and Riverside all appear. U.S. News ranked UC Riverside first for social mobility in 2026.

Which California State University campuses are on this list?

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Long Beach, Sacramento State, Stanislaus State, and San Diego State represent the CSU system here.

Top 25 Best Colleges in California 2027: Ranked List

1. Stanford University
2. California Institute of Technology
3. Harvey Mudd College
4. University of California – Los Angeles
5. Pomona College
6. Claremont McKenna College
7. University of Southern California
8. University of California – Berkeley
9. University of California – San Diego
10. University of California – Davis
11. University of California – Irvine
12. University of California – Santa Barbara
13. Santa Clara University
14. Cal Poly
15. Thomas Aquinas College
16. University of California – Riverside
17. Pitzer College
18. Occidental College
19. University of San Diego
20. Stanbridge University – Orange County
21. California State University – Long Beach
22. California State University – Sacramento
23. California State University – Stanislaus
24. San Diego State University
25. Point Loma Nazarene University

 

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