When it comes to choosing a college, student athletes have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Colleges for Division I Men's Soccer in California ranking - to help you make that decision.
We analyzed 17 colleges and universities across California to determine which were the best for D1 Men's Soccer athletes in California. Our ranking is based on several objective factors, including the school's overall quality and the athletic competitiveness of the school. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. So, even if a school has a great team, it won't place well if it is also considered a low quality college or university.
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 as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to online students or returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
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Top Colleges in California for D1 Men's Soccer athletes in California
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for D1 Men’s Soccer athletes in California in this year’s ranking. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,699 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Stanford took home $1,821,413 in revenue. With a perfect academic progress rate of 1000, the team is showing that they know how to hit the books, too.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. Stanford not only placed well in this ranking, but it is also #2 on our overall quality list.
Full Stanford University Sports Report
A rank of #2 on our list means Loyola Marymount University is a great place for D1 Men’s Soccer athletes in California working on their bachelor’s degree. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 1,787 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Loyola Marymount took home $1,352,349 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 985, signifying that team members care about their grades.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Loyola Marymount also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Full Loyola Marymount University Sports Report
The excellent sports programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 Men’s Soccer athletes in California. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large public school awarded 9,851 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at UCLA brought home $1,682,293 in revenue in a single year. The academic progress rate of the team is 961.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. In addition to its great ranking here, UCLA is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of California - Los Angeles
A rank of #4 on our list means San Diego State University is a great place for D1 Men’s Soccer athletes in California working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in San Diego, California, the large public school handed out 8,969 bachelor’s degrees in .
SDSU brought in $1,369,385 while tallying up $962,307 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Soccer team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $407,078 in profit. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 961.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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Out of the 17 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, the large public school handed out 6,839 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at UCSB brought home $1,425,094 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 958.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, UCSB is in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Sports Report
University of San Francisco landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer in California ranking. USFCA is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 1,626 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at USFCA took home $1,224,961 in revenue. The team had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of San Francisco Sports Report
University of the Pacific did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer in California ranking, coming in at #7. 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 869 students in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Pacific made $1,124,928 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 992 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Pacific excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of the Pacific
University of California - Berkeley ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer in California list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10,103 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at UC Berkeley made $152,135 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 985.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, UC Berkeley also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer in California ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Santa Clara, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,587 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at SCU took home $1,524,223 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 990.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, SCU also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Santa Clara University
University of San Diego ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer in California list. Located in San Diego, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,688 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at USD took home $926,823 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 984.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, USD also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on University of San Diego
With a ranking of #11, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer in California ranking. University of California - Davis is a large public school located in Davis, California that handed out 9,615 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at UC Davis took home $709,730 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 995, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. UC Davis excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer in California ranking. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, the large public school awarded 4,987 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo brought home $855,420 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 965.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of California - Riverside ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer in California list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,880 students in .
The team at UCR took home $691,461 in revenue and paid out $654,424 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $37,037, which isn’t bad at all. The team has a great academic progress rate of 987, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer in California ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Irvine, California, the large public school awarded 9,011 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at UC Irvine brought home $823,617 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 966.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UC Irvine excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of California - Irvine
California State University - Fullerton came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer in California ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 9,717 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at Cal State Fullerton brought home $718,417 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 944.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read full sports report on California State University - Fullerton
With a ranking of #16, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer in California ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 7,486 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at Sac State brought home $623,826 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 972.
Full California State University - Sacramento Sports Report
San Jose State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer in California list. Located in San Jose, California, the large public school handed out 7,362 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at San Jose State brought home $701,213 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 955.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
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Best Colleges for D1 Men's Soccer in the Far Western US Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 17 schools only.
References
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
The academic progress rate (APR) of each team was made available by the NCAA.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
