by our College Data Analytics TeamWhen pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Top California Colleges ranking.
We analyzed 161 colleges and universities across California to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. Our ranking methodology focuses on over 20 different objective factors - such as graduation rate, post graduate earnings, and a school's average expenditure per student - to make this determination.
Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location and field of study. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2025 rankings named Stanford University the best school in California in terms of overall quality for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
The student-to-faculty rate of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Stanford make an average of $124,080 per year during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #2 in California on this year’s overall quality ranking.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 9 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 USC is $92,498 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in California 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%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley make an average of $92,446 per year during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 in California on this year’s overall quality ranking.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UCLA make an average of $82,511 per year during the early years of their career.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Harvey Mudd College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in California.
The student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Harvey Mudd College make an average of $138,687 per year during the early years of their career.
Claremont McKenna College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in California 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. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $104,736 during the early years of their career..
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in California ranking.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UCSB is $74,915 during the early years of their career.
University of California - San Diego landed the #8 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in California ranking.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UCSD make an average of $84,943 per year during the early years of their career.
Santa Clara University landed the #9 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in California ranking.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 88%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $109,183 during the early years of their career..
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in California ranking, coming in at #10.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis make an average of $80,838 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #11, Pepperdine University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in California list.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 80%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Pepperdine make an average of $82,939 a year.
University of California - Irvine came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in California ranking.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine go into careers with an average salary of $80,735 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #13, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in California list.
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% During the early years of their career, graduates from UC Santa Cruz make an average of $68,396 a year.
Foothill College landed the #14 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in California ranking.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Foothill College go into careers with an average salary of $57,072 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #15, Southwestern College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in California list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from SWC Chula Vista is $40,060 during the early years of their career.
Santa Rosa Junior College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in California ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from SRJC is $47,224 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #17, Thomas Aquinas College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in California list.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 80%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from TAC make an average of $55,619 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #18, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in California list.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Azusa Pacific go into careers with an average salary of $66,677 during the early years of their career.
Irvine Valley College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in California ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Irvine Valley College is $49,156 during the early years of their career.
Saint Mary’s College of California did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in California ranking, coming in at #20.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from SMC is $78,812 during the early years of their career.
University of San Francisco ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges in California list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from USFCA make an average of $89,812 a year.
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in California ranking, coming in at #22.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $90,768 during the early years of their career.
Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report
With a ranking of #23, Golden Gate University - San Francisco did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in California list.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $87,434 during the early years of their career..
Chapman University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges in California list.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Chapman make an average of $70,070 per year during the early years of their career.
San Diego State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in California ranking.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from SDSU is $64,909 during the early years of their career.
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These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Mount Saint Mary’s University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 27 | Cosumnes River College | Sacramento, CA |
| 28 | University of California - Riverside | Riverside, CA |
| 29 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 30 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
| 31 | City College of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 32 | Modesto Junior College | Modesto, CA |
| 33 | San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia | Visalia, CA |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.