When it comes to choosing a college, student athletes have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Men's Soccer in California ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
We analyzed 41 colleges and universities across California to determine which were the best for Men's Soccer athletes in California. To come up with this ranking, we look at a number of factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include the school's overall quality as determined by our Best Colleges ranking and the athletic competitiveness of the school. Thus, in order to rank well, the school must offer a quality education in addition to having a great sports team.
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 Men's Soccer athletes in California
Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the best school for Men’s Soccer athletes in California working on their bachelor’s degree. 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 .
The Men’s Soccer team at Stanford brought home $1,821,413 in revenue in a single year. The team had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. In addition to its Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Stanford is ranked #2 for overall quality in California.
Full Stanford University Sports Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola Marymount University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer athletes in California list. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 1,787 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Men’s Soccer team at Loyola Marymount took home $1,352,349 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 985.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Loyola Marymount excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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 Men’s Soccer athletes in California. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 9,851 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Men’s Soccer team at UCLA took home $1,682,293 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 961.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. UCLA also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Sports Report
The excellent sports programs at San Diego State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Men’s Soccer athletes in California. This large public school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 8,969 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Men’s Soccer team at SDSU made $1,369,385 in revenue, while incurring $962,307 in expenses. That boils down to a yearly profit of $407,078 for the sports team. The academic progress rate of the team is 961.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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The excellent sports programs at University of California - Santa Barbara helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Men’s Soccer athletes in California. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 6,839 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the Men’s Soccer team at UCSB made $1,425,094 in revenue. 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. UCSB 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 - Santa Barbara
University of San Francisco landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. University of San Francisco is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 1,626 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Men’s Soccer team at USFCA brought home $1,224,961 in revenue in a single year. 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 86%.
Full University of San Francisco Sports Report
University of the Pacific ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California list. University of the Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Stockton, California that handed out 869 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the Men’s Soccer team at Pacific made $1,124,928 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 992, signifying that team members care about their grades.
Pacific excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking, coming in at #8. Located in La Jolla, California, the large public school awarded 9,422 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The Men’s Soccer team at UCSD brought home $730,306 in revenue in a single year.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, UCSD also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of California - Berkeley landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 10,103 students in .
On the financial side of things, the Men’s Soccer team at UC Berkeley made $152,135 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 985, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Read full sports report on University of California - Berkeley
With a ranking of #10, Santa Clara University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. Santa Clara University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Santa Clara, California that handed out 1,587 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the Men’s Soccer team at SCU made $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.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, SCU is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Santa Clara University Sports Report
University of San Diego came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. University of San Diego is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in San Diego, California that handed out 1,688 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Men’s Soccer team at USD brought home $926,823 in revenue in a single year. The team has a great academic progress rate of 984, signifying that team members care about their grades.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. USD also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Full University of San Diego Sports Report
With a ranking of #12, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,615 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Men’s Soccer team at UC Davis took home $709,730 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 995 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, UC Davis also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full University of California - Davis Sports Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 4,987 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Speaking financially, the Men’s Soccer team at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo took home $855,420 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 965.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Sports Report
University of California - Riverside came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 5,880 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The Men’s Soccer team at UCR made $691,461 in revenue, while incurring $654,424 in expenses. 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 Redlands did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking, coming in at #15. University of Redlands is a small private not-for-profit school located in Redlands, California that handed out 924 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Men’s Soccer team at University of Redlands took home $191,858 in revenue.
Read full sports report on University of Redlands
With a ranking of #16, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large public school located in Irvine, California that handed out 9,011 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Men’s Soccer team at UC Irvine brought home $823,617 in revenue in a single year. The academic progress rate of the team is 966.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, UC Irvine also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on University of California - Irvine
Chapman University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. Chapman is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,104 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Men’s Soccer team at Chapman brought home $103,445 in revenue in a single year.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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With a ranking of #18, Pomona College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. Located in Claremont, California, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 418 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The team at Pomona took home $204,182 in revenue and paid out $197,679 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $6,503 in profit.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Pomona is ranked #3 for overall quality in California.
Full Pomona College Sports Report
California State University - Fullerton came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. This large public school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 9,717 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Men’s Soccer team at Cal State Fullerton took home $718,417 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 944.
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 full sports report on California State University - Fullerton
California Baptist University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,963 bachelor’s degrees in .
Cal Baptist brought in $1,129,867 while tallying up $1,123,367 in expenses for its Men’s Soccer team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $6,500 in profit. Sports aren’t the only thing that the team excels at - they had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
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University of La Verne ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in La Verne, California, and it awarded 1,071 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Men’s Soccer team at ULV took home $150,373 in revenue.
Read full sports report on University of La Verne
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 6,364 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Cal Poly Pomona took home $683,552 in revenue and paid out $621,958 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $61,594, which isn’t bad at all.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full sports report on California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Sacramento, California, the large public school handed out 7,486 bachelor’s degrees in .
The 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.
Read full sports report on California State University - Sacramento
San Jose State University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. This large public school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 7,362 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Men’s Soccer team at San Jose State took home $701,213 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 955.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full San Jose State University Sports Report
With a ranking of #25, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Soccer in California ranking. Located in Rohnert Park, California, the medium-sized public school awarded 2,258 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
SSU brought in $532,435 while tallying up $467,919 in expenses for its Men’s Soccer team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $64,516 for the sports team.
Full Sonoma State University Sports Report
Best Colleges for 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 25 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%.
