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2025 Best English Language & Literature Schools in California

38 Colleges in California
7,466 English Language & Literature Degrees Awarded
$32,613 Avg Early-Career Salary
When it comes to popularity, english language & literature sits in the middle of the road, ranking #18 out of 38 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 38 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for english language & literature students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 7,466 degrees in english language & literature to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great English Language & Literature School

Best English Language & Literature Schools in California The english language & literature program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for English Language & Literature rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for english language & literature schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

English Language & Literature Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in English Language & Literature
Master's Degrees in English Language & Literature
Doctor's Degrees in English Language & Literature

The english language & literature school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best English Language & Literature Schools in California. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for English Language & Literature in California

The schools below may not offer all types of english language & literature degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top California Schools in English Language & Literature

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
321 English Language & Literature Degrees Awarded
$27,799 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Los Angeles is a good decision for students interested in a degree in english language & literature. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 321 english language & literature students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the english language & literature program make an average of $27,799 for their early career.

More information about a degree in english language & literature from University of California - Los Angeles

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
287 English Language & Literature Degrees Awarded
$30,268 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in english language & literature. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 287 english language & literature students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the english language & literature program make around $30,268 for their early career.

More information about a degree in english language & literature from University of California - Berkeley

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Bachelors Degree Type
BA in English Language & Literature Program Name

Turn your love of reading and writing into a career with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in English Language & Literature from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
177 English Language & Literature Degrees Awarded
0.6% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Santa Barbara is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in english language & literature. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were approximately 177 english language & literature students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the english language & literature program report average early career earnings of $24,099.

More information about a degree in english language & literature from University of California - Santa Barbara

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
169 English Language & Literature Degrees Awarded
3.6% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in english language & literature needs to take a look at University of California - Irvine. UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 169 english language & literature students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, english language & literature degree recipients generally earn about $26,021 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in english language & literature from University of California - Irvine

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
211 English Language & Literature Degrees Awarded
0.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 211 english language & literature students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. After graduation, english language & literature degree recipients usually earn about $25,477 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in english language & literature from University of California - Davis

6
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 English Language & Literature Degrees Awarded
$30,544 Median Starting Salary

Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were approximately 45 english language & literature students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the english language & literature program make about $30,544 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in english language & literature from Stanford University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
309 English Language & Literature Degrees Awarded
3.6% Growth in Graduates

CSULB is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Long Beach. This university ranks 36th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 309 english language & literature students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year. After graduation, english language & literature degree recipients usually make an average of $23,539 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in english language & literature from California State University - Long Beach

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA English in Literature Program Name

Develop your literary and cultural analysis skills to help advance your career with this specialized online degree from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA English in Literature from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 English Language & Literature Degrees Awarded
1.9% Growth in Graduates

UCSD is a very large public university located in the city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 105 english language & literature students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the english language & literature program earn around $22,836 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in english language & literature from University of California - San Diego

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 English Language & Literature Degrees Awarded
$34,718 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #165 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.

There were roughly 62 english language & literature students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent year we have data available. Those english language & literature students who get their degree from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo earn $2,105 more than the standard english language & literature graduate.

More information about a degree in english language & literature from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 English Language & Literature Degrees Awarded
5.7% Growth in Graduates

USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 87 english language & literature students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the english language & literature program state that they receive average early career income of $26,636.

More information about a degree in english language & literature from University of Southern California

Best English Language & Literature Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best English Language & Literature Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 37 896
Oregon 37 524
Hawaii 36 111
Nevada 35 290
Alaska 33 52

View All Rankings >

English Language & Literature Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
General English Literature 6,594
Writing Studies 650
English Literature (Other) 193
Literature 29

View All English Language & Literature Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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