by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its Top Far Western US Region Colleges ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
We analyzed 362 colleges and universities across the Far Western US Region to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on over 20 objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as student-to-faculty ratio, average graduate earnings, and graduation rate.
See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Learn more about these excellent schools below: Our analysis found Samuel Merritt University to be the best school for overall quality in the Far Western US Region in this year’s ranking. Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Samuel Merritt University make an average of $143,238 per year during the early years of their career. The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Stanford University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the Far Western US Region . The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Stanford make an average of $124,080 a year. A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list means University of Southern California is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 79%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $92,498 during the early years of their career.. A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 76%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley go into careers with an average salary of $92,446 during the early years of their career. You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pacific College of Health and Science. The school came in at #5 in the Far Western US Region on this year’s overall quality ranking. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Pacific College San Diego make an average of $26,209 per year during the early years of their career.1
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With a ranking of #6, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 81%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UCLA make an average of $82,511 per year during the early years of their career.
Roseman University of Health Sciences did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #7. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Roseman University of Health Sciences go into careers with an average salary of $120,163 during the early years of their career. Loma Linda University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #8. The student-to-faculty rate of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. During the early years of their career, graduates from Loma Linda University make an average of $89,816 a year. Harvey Mudd College landed the #9 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. With a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Harvey Mudd College is $138,687 during the early years of their career. Claremont McKenna College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #10. Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna make an average of $104,736 per year during the early years of their career.7
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University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UW Seattle go into careers with an average salary of $78,466 during the early years of their career.
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #12 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UCSB go into careers with an average salary of $74,915 during the early years of their career. Read full report on University of California - Santa Barbara Carrington College, Sacramento ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $39,633 during the early years of their career.. With a ranking of #14, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UCSD is $84,943 during the early years of their career. With a ranking of #15, Santa Clara University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. The 4-year grad rate at the school is 88%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from SCU is $109,183 during the early years of their career.12
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University of California - Davis ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. During the early years of their career, graduates from UC Davis make an average of $80,838 a year.
West Coast University - Los Angeles ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. During the early years of their career, graduates from West Coast University - Los Angeles make an average of $102,672 a year. Pepperdine University landed the #18 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 80%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine go into careers with an average salary of $82,939 during the early years of their career. San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Cordova ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. During the early years of their career, graduates from make an average of $38,317 a year. FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from FIDM Los Angeles make an average of $49,840 per year during the early years of their career. Full FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles Report1718
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Carrington College-Pleasant Hill did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #21.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Western Career College-Pleasant Hill make an average of $39,633 a year.
American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles make an average of $27,019 per year during the early years of their career. Read full report on American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #23. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. During the early years of their career, graduates from UC Irvine make an average of $80,735 a year. West Coast University - Orange County landed the #24 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from West Coast University - Orange County is $102,672 during the early years of their career. University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. During the early years of their career, graduates from UC Santa Cruz make an average of $68,396 a year.2223
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Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 20% of this year’s ranking:26
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To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:Rank College Location 51 The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 52 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA 53 Cosumnes River College Sacramento, CA 54 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA 55 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
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These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges ranking:Rank College Location 56 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA 57 Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, CA 58 City College of San Francisco San Francisco, CA 59 Modesto Junior College Modesto, CA 60 Canada College Redwood City, CA 61 San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia Visalia, CA 62 United States University San Diego, CA 63 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 64 University of San Diego San Diego, CA 65 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA 66 Touro University Nevada Henderson, NV 67 National University San Diego, CA 68 Pacific Union College Angwin, CA 69 Merced College Merced, CA 70 San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 72 | California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton, CA |
| 73 | Western Washington University | Bellingham, WA |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.