2021 Best Colleges in California for Students from Australia
26
Colleges
$40,298
Avg Tuition & Fees*
53%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
It's not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for international students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Colleges for Australian Students in California ranking - to help you make that decision.
We analyzed 26 colleges and universities across California to determine which were the best for Australian students in California. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, number of total international students at the school, and the percentage of international students on campus - to make this determination.
Get more details on our ranking methodology.
Custom Rankings
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. 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 online students or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don't have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Top Colleges in California for Students from Australia
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our 2021 rankings named University of California - Los Angeles the best school for Australian students in California working on their bachelor’s degree. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 10,102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 13.8% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at UCLA come from such countries as China, South Korea, and India.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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Out of the 26 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 1,511 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 23.9% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Stanford come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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Out of the 26 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #3 spot on the list. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 5,745 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 22.5% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at USC come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on University of Southern California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Australian students in California list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 10,523 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 16.2% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at UC Berkeley are China, South Korea, and India.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of California - Berkeley Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #5 in this year’s ranking. Caltech is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 227 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Around 30.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Caltech come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students in California ranking, coming in at #6. This large public school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 9,086 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 21.4% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UCSD to study.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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With a ranking of #7, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students in California. This large public school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 9,846 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 17.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UC Davis to study.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on University of California - Davis
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students in California. Located in Irvine, California, the large public school handed out 9,882 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 18.4% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UC Irvine to study.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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Pepperdine University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Australian Students in California ranking. Malibu, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,024 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 9.6% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Pepperdine are China, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.
Full Pepperdine University Report
With a ranking of #10, University of San Francisco did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students in California. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 1,682 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 12.7% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at USFCA are China, India, and Indonesia.
Read full report on University of San Francisco
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students in California ranking, coming in at #11. This large public school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 7,001 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 14.9% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at UCSB come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
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University of San Diego ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for Australian Students in California list. USD is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,672 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 5.7% are international. Students studying at USD come from such countries as China, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.
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Loyola Marymount University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students in California ranking, coming in at #13. Loyola Marymount is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,856 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Of the total number of students at the school, 9.5% are international. Students studying at Loyola Marymount come from such countries as Indonesia, China, and Saudi Arabia.
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University of the Pacific came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Australian Students in California ranking. Stockton, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 872 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 7.5% are international. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to Pacific to study.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on University of the Pacific
San Diego State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Australian Students in California ranking. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 8,719 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 5.4% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at SDSU are China, India, and Kuwait.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full San Diego State University Report
Saint Mary’s College of California ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Australian Students in California list. Located in Moraga, California, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 717 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 2.7% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at SMC come from such countries as China, Canada, and Australia.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Saint Mary’s College of California Report
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Australian Students in California ranking. Located in Santa Cruz, California, the fairly large public school handed out 5,426 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 9.6% are international. Students studying at UC Santa Cruz come from such countries as China, India, and Taiwan.
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With a ranking of #18, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students in California. Located in Long Beach, California, the large public school handed out 9,179 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 6.0% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at CSULB are India, China, and Japan.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full California State University - Long Beach Report
San Jose State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for Australian Students in California list. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7,192 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 10.2% are international. Students studying at San Jose State come from such countries as India, China, and Vietnam.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on San Jose State University
The Master’s University and Seminary landed the #20 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students in California. Located in Santa Clarita, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 270 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
International students make up 1.3% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at The Master’s University are Canada, South Africa, and South Korea.
Full The Master’s University and Seminary Report
California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students in California ranking, coming in at #21. Seaside, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,805 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 4.7% are international. Students studying at CSUMB come from such countries as Japan, China, and Germany.
Full California State University - Monterey Bay Report
California Baptist University landed the #22 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students in California. Located in Riverside, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,008 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 2.8% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Rwanda come to Cal Baptist to study.
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California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students in California ranking, coming in at #23. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 9,572 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 6.2% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as Kuwait, China, and India come to CSUN to study.
Read full report on California State University - Northridge
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students in California ranking, coming in at #24. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 6,627 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 6.8% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Japan come to SFSU to study.
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With a ranking of #25, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students in California. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,061 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
International students make up 5.7% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at CSUSB come from such countries as Saudi Arabia, China, and South Korea.
Read full report on California State University - San Bernardino
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