2021 Best Colleges in California for Students from Canada
50
Colleges
$48,608
Avg Tuition & Fees*
64%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
International students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California ranking.
We analyzed 50 colleges and universities across California to determine which were the best for Canadian students in California. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as the total number of international students at the school and the school's overall quality.
Find out more about our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.
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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Top Colleges in California for Students from Canada
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our 2021 rankings named University of Southern California the best school for Canadian students in California working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 5,745 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 22.5% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to USC to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of California - Berkeley helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Canadian students in California. Located in Berkeley, California, the large public school awarded 10,523 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
International students make up 16.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UC Berkeley come from such countries as China, South Korea, and India.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full University of California - Berkeley Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #3 in this year’s ranking. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,511 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 23.9% are international. Students studying at Stanford come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Stanford University
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Canadian students in California. This large public school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 10,102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 13.8% of the total student body at the school. 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.
Read full report on University of California - Los Angeles
A rank of #5 on our list means California Institute of Technology is a great place for Canadian students in California working on their bachelor’s degree. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 227 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 30.5% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Caltech are China, India, and Canada.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
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University of California - San Diego ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California list. This large public school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 9,086 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 21.4% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at UCSD come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on University of California - San Diego
University of California - Davis landed the #7 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California. Located in Davis, California, the large public school awarded 9,846 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 17.5% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UC Davis are China, India, and South Korea.
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
University of California - Irvine ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California list. This large public school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 9,882 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 18.4% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UC Irvine to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read More…
Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Santa Clara, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,656 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 11.3% are international. Students from as far away as India, China, and Taiwan come to SCU to study.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read More…
With a ranking of #10, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 7,001 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 14.9% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at UCSB are 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 California - Santa Barbara
Claremont McKenna College did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Claremont, California, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 431 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 14.2% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Claremont McKenna are China, India, and Canada.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Claremont McKenna College
Pepperdine University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California list. Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit institution located in Malibu, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,024 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 9.6% are international. Students from as far away as China, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia come to Pepperdine to study.
Read full report on Pepperdine University
Loyola Marymount University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California ranking. Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,856 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 9.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Loyola Marymount come from such countries as Indonesia, China, and Saudi Arabia.
Read full report on Loyola Marymount University
University of San Francisco ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California list. USFCA is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a fairly large population, and 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.
Full University of San Francisco Report
University of San Diego did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California ranking, coming in at #15. 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 from as far away as China, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia come to USD to study.
Read More…
Pomona College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California ranking. Pomona College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Claremont, California that handed out 395 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 11.1% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Pomona come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Pomona College
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #17 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 5,426 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 9.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at UC Santa Cruz come from such countries as China, India, and Taiwan.
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Chapman University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California ranking. Located in Orange, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,944 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 4.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, Saudi Arabia, and India come to Chapman to study.
Read full report on Chapman University
University of the Pacific landed the #19 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California. 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.
International students make up 7.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to Pacific to study.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
University of California - Riverside came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California ranking. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 6,193 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 7.7% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and Taiwan come to UCR to study.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on University of California - Riverside
San Francisco Conservatory of Music did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California ranking, coming in at #21. SFCM is located in San Francisco, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Of the total number of students at the school, 41.2% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at SFCM are China, South Korea, and Canada.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read More…
San Jose State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian 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.
International students make up 10.2% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at San Jose State are India, China, and Vietnam.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read More…
San Diego State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California ranking. Located in San Diego, California, the large public school handed out 8,719 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 5.4% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Kuwait come to SDSU to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read full report on San Diego State University
California College of the Arts came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California ranking. California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 283 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 41.7% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to California College of the Arts to study.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read More…
Biola University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in California ranking, coming in at #25. Located in La Mirada, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 826 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 9.3% are international. Students studying at Biola come from such countries as South Korea, Indonesia, and China.
Full Biola University Report
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