25 Best Colleges in California – 2024

Academic Highlights: Across all six divisions at Caltech, there are 28 distinct majors. Possessing an absurdly favorable 3:1 student-to-faculty ratio, plenty of individualized attention is up for grabs. Class sizes are not quite as tiny as the student-to-faculty ratio might suggest, but 66% of courses enroll fewer than twenty students, and 28% enroll fewer than ten. Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) enjoy wide participation with 90% of undergraduates partaking, and 20% of that group going on to publish their results.

Professional Outcomes: Caltech is a rare school that sees six-figure average starting salaries for its graduates; in 2023, the median base salary range was 110k-119k. Forty-four percent of recent grads went directly into the workforce and found homes at tech giants such as Google, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta. A healthy 43% of those receiving their diplomas in 2023 continued directly on the higher education path, immediately entering graduate school. Seventy-four percent of these students were admitted to their top-choice school.

Academic Highlights: A virtually unmatched 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio sets students up for a personalized classroom experience and an incredible amount of face time with some of the leaders in their respective fields. Sixty-nine percent of classes have fewer than twenty students, and 32% have a single-digit enrollment. Stanford puts immense resources behind undergraduate research; more than $6.5 million in grant funding is allocated each year to support roughly 1,100 student research projects. Close to 900 students study abroad annually through the Bing Overseas Studies Program in 12 international cities.

Professional Outcomes: Stanford grads entering the working world flock to three major industries: business development, engineering, and education. Among the companies employing the largest number of grads are Google, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, NVIDIA, and OpenAI. A sizable number of newly minted Cardinals dive into the world of entrepreneurship. San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles were the top three US destinations for recent grads. Starting salaries for Stanford grads are among the highest in the country.

Academic Highlights: Close to half of classrooms contain fewer than twenty Bruins, but those taking introductory courses will find themselves in a fair number of lecture halls with a hundred or more students. Professors are given impressively high marks for a research university of UCLA’s size. 93% of College of Letters and Science seniors rate their professors as being intellectually challenging. By the time they graduate, 45% of undergraduates have participated in a research experience. Every year, roughly one-quarter of the undergraduate population elects to study abroad, a sharp increase from only a few years ago. UCLA has 115 partner universities in 40+ countries around the globe.

Professional Outcomes: Thousands of alumni can be found working at Google, Amazon, and Apple. Companies that employ over 100 Bruins each include Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, TikTok, NVIDIA, and LinkedIn. Ultimately, one-third of UCLA grads go on to enroll in graduate/professional school, with many choosing to stay at their alma mater. Otherwise, the most attended grad schools are primarily other excellent California-based institutions including Stanford, USC, and Berkeley. For graduates early in their careers, the median salary is $78,600, with mid-career median earnings reaching over $149k. Many alumni remain in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area after graduating; other popular destinations include the San Francisco Bay area and New York City.

Academic Highlights: The school’s 198 full-time professors are dedicated to the task of undergraduate education. Pomona’s 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio leads to an average class size of only 15 students. 71% of classes contain less than 20 students, and only 13 of 440 courses that ran in 2023-24 contained more than 40 students. Small classes also lead to the forging of student-professor bonds that help over 50% of the undergraduate population conduct research alongside a faculty member, and 25% ultimately publish or formally present their work. Each summer, 200 students remain on campus for such an endeavor. Close to 50% of Pomona students travel abroad to one of 69 programs in 39 countries.

Professional Outcomes: 67% of the Class of 2023 were employed within six months of graduating. Overall, the largest number of alumni can be found at Google, Microsoft, Kaiser Permanente, Amazon, and Apple. Recently, degree-earners have landed jobs at Boston Consulting Group, Alphasights, JP Morgan Chase, and Houlihan Lokey. Majors in the hard sciences frequently landed at top research laboratories and hospitals. Of the 23% of 2023 grads who were accepted directly into graduate school, the most frequently attended institutions included Berkeley, UCLA, Columbia, and NYU.

Academic Highlights: The college boasts an average class size of eighteen, and 88% of course sections have fewer than twenty students. With an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio and only one graduate program offered (an MA in finance), undergrads benefit from ample professor attention. In a typical school year, an incredible three-quarters of CMC students had the chance to conduct research with a faculty member, and the school has eleven partner research institutes and centers that provide graduate-level research experiences. Studying abroad is another popular pursuit as CMC offers approved programs on each of the world’s six populated continents. Almost half of all undergrads spend time at one of 100+ approved programs in forty countries.

Professional Outcomes: Recent CMC grads work in research, business development, finance, operations, and education, with top employers including companies such as Deloitte, Microsoft, and Google. You name the prestigious graduate/professional program and, chances are, a recent CMC grad (or two or three) is presently studying there. Since 2001, more than 120 alumni have enrolled at USC and UCLA. More than 60 grads have headed to UChicago, Columbia, and Stanford.

Academic Highlights: Class sizes are not always as tiny as the school itself. While 60% of courses have an enrollment under 20, another 33% enroll between 20 and 39 students. Regardless, Mudd prides itself on offering graduate-level research opportunities and experiential learning to all undergrads. The college backs up its philosophical stance with cold, hard cash, allocating three million dollars annually to facilitate student-faculty research. Students can participate during the school year or during the Summer Undergraduate Research Program that entails 10 weeks of full-time laboratory work. It is not uncommon for participants to end up with their names on a patent.

Professional Outcomes: Fifty-three percent of the Class of 2023 planned on entering a job right after receiving their bachelor’s degree. The highest number of recent Harvey Mudd graduates are scooped up by the following companies (in order of representation): Microsoft, Amazon, Caltech, Ellison Institute of Technology, Google, Second Order Effects, and SpaceX. Graduates average an impressive $117,500 starting salary, a phenomenal number even when accounting for the preponderance of STEM majors. Many Harvey Mudd grads—28% in 2023—go directly into graduate school programs.

Academic Highlights: Aided by a favorable 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, the school does an excellent job facilitating undergraduate research opportunities. Each school/college has a course entitled Directed Research 490 in which students work closely with a faculty supervisor and earn between two and eight credits, countless other opportunities exist to get one’s hands dirty in academic research. Each department has its own slate of study abroad offerings and Maymester programs, which are short-term intensive courses held stateside and abroad.

Professional Outcomes: 93% of undergrads experience positive postgraduation outcomes within six months of earning their degree. The median salary across all majors is an astounding $85k. Presently, between 500 and 2,500 alumni are employed at each of Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, NVIDIA, and Oracle. Graduate/professional schools enrolling the greatest number of 2023 USC grads include Columbia, UCLA, Pepperdine, and Harvard, with most remaining at USC for their advanced studies.

Academic Highlights: More than 150 undergraduate majors and minors are available across six schools. Undergrads will encounter a mix of large lectures (20% of sections contain more than 50 students) and tiny, single-digit enrollments in seminar-style courses (21% of sections contain nine or fewer students). Plenty of undergraduate research opportunities exist, with many facilitated by the Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarships; 48% of students participate in research during their time at Berkeley. Over 200 study abroad opportunities are available for those who desire them, and approximately 1,800 undergrads take advantage each year.

Professional Outcomes: Upon graduating, 53% of Cal’s Class of 2023 had already secured employment, and 17% were headed to graduate school. The median starting salary was $94,000 across all majors. Thousands of alumni can be found in the offices of Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft, and 500+ Golden Bears are currently employed by NVIDIA and LinkedIn. The school is the number one all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers. For those continuing their education, most chose to stay at UC Berkeley, with Stanford, the University of Southern California, Columbia, and Harvard rounding out the top five grad school destinations.

Academic Highlights: The student-to-faculty ratio at UC Santa Barbara is a decent 17:1, and the school does an excellent job of keeping undergraduate class sizes on the small side. In fact, more than half of sections contain fewer than 20 students, and 72% enroll 29 or fewer. Undergraduate research opportunities definitely exist for those willing to forge relationships with faculty outside the classroom. A solid 63% of graduates report engaging in some type of faculty-guided research. It’s not as easy to inspire Gauchos to leave their campus paradise for a semester in a foreign land—only around 20% of students participate in study abroad.

Professional Outcomes:  Over 500 UC Santa Barbara alumni currently work at Google, Apple, and Amazon, while Meta, Microsoft, Salesforce, AppFolio, and NVIDIA each employ 100+. Early in their career, UCSB alumni make a median salary of $75k; by mid-career, they earn a median income of $152k. Most graduates settle in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, followed by the San Francisco Bay area, and the San Diego metropolitan area.

Academic Highlights: There are 140+ undergraduate majors offered at UCSD, and all students join one of eight undergraduate colleges meant to forge flourishing communities within the larger university. While 26% of course sections are held in larger lecture halls and contain 50+ students, 42% of undergraduate courses sport an enrollment under 20. Twenty percent of undergrads assist faculty with at least one research project during their time at the university; Roughly one-third of undergraduate study abroad per year, and over 400 opportunities in 40+ countries are available for those who desire a semester of study outside of the United States.

Professional Outcomes: Employers of recent graduates included Amazon, Boeing, EY, KPMG, Morgan Stanley, Oracle, Qualcomm, and Tesla. More than 1,000 current Google employees are UC San Diego alumni, and Apple, Meta, and Microsoft all employ 500+ each. The median early career salary is $70,000 across all majors, placing the university in the top 10 public universities in the country. UCSD also fares well in measures of its return-on-investment potential.

Academic Highlights: There are 65+ majors available to undergrads, including some that are accessible through membership in the Consortium. An 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio breeds an intimate learning atmosphere where professors are genuinely dedicated to undergraduate education. As part of the required senior thesis, many undergraduates also have the chance to assist professors with academic/scientific research. Study abroad programs in over 40 countries are taken advantage of by nearly two-thirds of the student body, giving Scripps one of the highest participation rates of any college in the United States.

Professional Outcomes: Scripps women land jobs at some of the world’s leading companies after receiving their diplomas. Top employers include Google, Kaiser Permanente, and Amazon. Many go on to work for universities, including Pomona, Scripps, Claremont McKenna, UC San Francisco, and UCLA. Recent grads also have entered positions at Facebook, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, and Pfizer. About two-thirds of alumnae complete a graduate/professional program within five years of receiving their bachelor’s degrees at institutions such as Caltech, Harvard, MIT, Vanderbilt, Oxford, Northwestern, Stanford, and Tufts.

Academic Highlights: Students can pursue 45 degrees offered by three undergraduate colleges. While you won’t find many single-digit enrollment seminars, 42% of course sections do contain fewer than 20 students. Undergraduate research is built into many academic programs, particularly in the sciences, and students can partner with willing professors for credited research opportunities. In addition, study abroad ventures are available on all six continents fit for human habitation, and approximately one-third of juniors take advantage each year.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of receiving their degrees, 77% of Broncos have landed jobs. The companies presently employing the greatest number of alumni are all tech giants including Cisco, Apple, Google, NVIDIA, Meta, and Adobe. The median starting salary is $71,900, a number that skyrockets to a median of $173k by mid-career, placing SCU alums in the top 1% nationwide. For those who chose to pursue further education, 82% stated that SCU provided excellent preparation for graduate studies.

Academic Highlights: Pitzer manages to offer 39 majors and 23 minors and, as a bonus, students are free to take more than 2,000 courses across the consortium. A 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio and no graduate student presence lead to an average class size of 15 students, and 75% of sections enroll 19 or fewer students. In 2023-24, only one course section was larger than 39 students. Finding mentorship is doable in this atmosphere and can lead to undergraduate research opportunities such as those at the Keck Science Department, which also services CMC and Scripps students. Those opportunities can occur in the summer or during senior year while completing a required thesis. With 53% of students studying abroad, Pitzer runs eight foreign programs and offers access to 57 international exchange programs in over 30 countries.

Professional Outcomes: Upon receiving their degrees, 57% of 2023 graduates had already found full-time employers, 15% were headed to graduate school, and 10% were entering fellowship, internship, or service programs. Employers presently issuing paychecks to recent Pitzer alumni include Apple, Deloitte, Boston Children’s Hospital, Dior, Epic, and Fisher Investments. Graduates tend to be a globetrotting bunch, and the 11,000 living alumni can be found all over the map, although roughly half settle in Los Angeles or San Francisco. Median salaries, even ten years after graduation, are on the lower end of selective colleges, which is perhaps attributable to the fact that many Pitzer grads go on to earn a PhD.

Academic Highlights: 45 majors, minors, and programs are on tap, but all students must first make their way through the Oxy Core Program. Oxy offers an enviable 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an average class size of 19 students. Only one class contained over 40 students, and 94% enrolled fewer than thirty. The Undergraduate Research Center facilitates a plethora of hands-on experiences including a ten-week mentored summer program and limitless chances to pursue independent and course-based academic research during the regular school year. At the end of the summer, 125+ students present their research findings. Over two-thirds of Oxy undergrads typically become global citizens through international internships and fellowships or study abroad.

Professional Outcomes: Within nine months of graduation, 91% of Occidental alumni are employed, pursuing graduate studies, or volunteering. Among the largest employers of Oxy alumni are the Los Angeles Unified School District, Microsoft, Netflix, Mattel, Skydance Animation, Amazon, Deloitte, and the California Department of Public Health. Most Tigers remain on the prowl in California—mainly LA or San Fran, although there are large alumni clusters on the East Coast, especially in New York City and DC. Starting salaries for recent Occidental grads were $53k.

Academic Highlights: UCI offers over eighty undergrad programs as well as many opportunities for personal connection; 54% of all sections enroll 19 or fewer students and over 70% of students participate in undergraduate research. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program helps students with proposal writing, developing research plans, and presenting their results at the annual spring UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium and/or publishing their results in the UCI Undergraduate Research Journal.

Professional Outcomes: Companies employing large numbers of recent grads include Amazon, Deloitte, Northrop Grumman, Ernst & Young, and PwC. Hundreds of alumni are also found at Google, Microsoft, and Meta. The median salary is $70,000, with School of Information and Computer Sciences grads earning $117k right off the bat. 38% of graduates enroll in graduate school, with many choosing to remain at UC Irvine. The majority pursue master’s degrees (89%), with the remainder enrolling in doctorate programs.

Academic Highlights: Across all divisions, there are 60+ majors and 80+ minors offered. The majority of courses–71%–fall between twenty and forty students. Cal Poly’s student-to-faculty ratio is a high 18:1, but such is the cost of an uber-affordable STEM degree from an excellent institution. One-quarter of students take advantage of the school’s robust study abroad program that offers learning opportunities in over seventy-five countries.

Professional Outcomes: Within nine months of graduating, 89% of graduates are “positively engaged” in their next life activity. Top employers of Cal Poly grads include many of the country’s top firms, such as SpaceX, Deloitte, PwC, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, EY, and Apple. Overall, grads enjoy a terrific median starting salary of $78,000. Of the 10% of alumni who directly enter graduate school, the most commonly attended schools are all in California.

Academics: While class sizes aren’t small, 31% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students, and 67% of classes are kept under fifty students. There are numerous opportunities for undergraduate research through programs like the McNair Scholars Program, the Biology Undergraduate Research Program, and the Provost’s Undergraduate Fellowship. All in all, 50% of Aggies engage in some type of research/creative project outside the classroom, and over 700 present at the annual undergraduate research conference.

Professional Outcomes: Many recent grads found homes in Silicon Valley or other California-based employers. Corporations employing 200 or more Aggies include Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Salesforce, LinkedIn, and Tesla. Graduates earn a median salary of $79,000 at the beginning of their careers, but ten years out of school, median earnings rise to $147k. Most Aggies reside in the San Francisco Bay Area, with Sacramento, Davis, and Los Angeles proving popular with graduates as well.

Academic Highlights: Pepperdine offers 46 majors and 47 minors. A 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio is solid, and faculty are fully deployed with the aim of creating an intimate liberal arts classroom setting. The average class contains 18 students, and 23% of courses will contain fewer than ten students. There are three formal programs for undergraduate research: the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, the Cross-disciplinary/Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Program, and the Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative. Close to 80% of Seaver students study abroad and build global experience in locations such as Buenos Aires, Florence, London, and Shanghai.

Professional Outcomes: 92% of the Class of 2023 landed at their next destination within six months, with 65% employed full-time, 26% admitted to graduate school, and 1% in a full-time service or military role. Of those employed, 81% were in the for-profit sector, 19% were with nonprofit/government entities, and less than 1% were pursuing entrepreneurial ventures. Amazon, Deloitte, Fulbright, JP Morgan, and NBC Universal have hired the most recent grads. Other companies employing fifty or more alumni include The Walt Disney Company, Apple, and Google.

Academic Highlights: Soka University delivers a truly distinctive liberal arts education where 100% of undergraduates study abroad, supported by an exceptional 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an intimate 12-student average class size. The university’s innovative BA in Liberal Arts offers five interdisciplinary concentrations, blending global perspectives with personalized mentorship in a diverse community committed to peace and human rights. This immersive academic model fosters deep intellectual engagement and cross-cultural fluency.

Professional Outcomes: Soka graduates achieve meaningful careers with global impact, securing positions at Deloitte, UNICEF, and Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while others contribute to Soka’s educational mission. Most alumni build their careers in the Los Angeles area, with median earnings of $55,000 after ten years. These outcomes demonstrate Soka’s unique ability to prepare globally conscious leaders through its “education for global citizenship” philosophy.

Academic Highlights: Undergraduates can choose from a variety of majors and minors across four schools. 99% of courses at USD contain 39 or fewer students. If you desire to participate in undergraduate research, there is a faculty member willing to work with you, “regardless of major or class standing.” Students can participate through a number of formal on-campus programs like the Beginning Undergraduate Research Summer Training (BURST) program or the McNair Scholars Program, which provides faculty mentors and stipends as support. The 80 available study abroad programs attract an exceptional 70% of Toreros.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after being handed their diplomas, 89% of recent USD graduates had found their next destination. 63% were employed at a diverse range of employers such as EY, General Atomics, PwC, Deloitte, Northrop Grumman, NBC Universal, and Boeing. The median starting salary was a healthy $72k. Approximately 23% of recent grads immediately pursued an advanced degree.

Academic Highlights: Chapman offers 50+ majors in STEM, humanities, communication, the arts, and business. Overall, 43% of classes enroll fewer than 20 students and the student-to-faculty ratio is 12:1. Students can engage in faculty-mentored projects, apply for funding via programs like the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), and present their work at the annual Student Scholar Symposium. The school regularly receives acclaim for its innovation and the quality of undergraduate teaching.

Professional Outcomes: The Walt Disney Company, Amazon, Deloitte, Microsoft, NBCUniversal, Netflix, and Circle Advertising are the most common employers of Chapman graduates. In 2023. 62% of that cohort had already secured employment by graduation day. Most graduates remain in the state of California, with Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Irvine attracting particularly high numbers of alumni.

Academic Highlights: SDSU has nearly 160 undergraduate majors, minors, and pre-professional programs. Classes tend to be on the large side—27% of course sections enroll more than 40 students, and only 28% of sections contain fewer than 20 students. The Undergraduate Research Program pairs students with faculty mentors to work on research, scholarship, or creative projects. In total, 1,740 undergrads are involved in research every year. An incredible 700 study abroad programs can be accessed and the school ranks third in the country in terms of the sheer number of students taking a semester in a foreign country.

Professional Outcomes: At the time of receiving their degrees, roughly 75% of newly minted SDSU graduates already have their next phase of life planned. Thirty-four percent of recent grads had secured full-time employment, 21% were engaged in military service/volunteer work/part-time employment, and 17% were entering graduate or professional school. Recent employers of SDSU grads include Marriott, Vanguard, Google, Sherwin Williams, Disney, Deloitte, Chase, and the City of San Diego. San Diego keeps 65% of grads while Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Orange County also have fairly strong representation.

Academic Highlights: 74 undergraduate majors are available at UCSC. An identical percentage of classes contain 50+ students (27%) as under 20 students (27%). Fortunately, thanks in part to a relatively small number of graduate students (roughly 2,000), there are still opportunities to work side-by-side with faculty. In fact, a commendable 52% of undergraduates conduct some type of faculty-guided research during their four years at Santa Cruz, and the school has pledged to raise that number to 75%. Roughly 15% of students elect to study abroad, and the school encourages all students to take advantage of the well established UC programs situated all around the globe.

Professional Outcomes: Within three months of earning their degree, 28% of UCSC grads had found employment and 17% started graduate programs. Proximity to Silicon Valley helps open doors to companies like Google, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Cisco, which all employ over 200 alumni. More than 100 alumni can also be found in the offices of NVIDIA, Salesforce, Adobe, and LinkedIn. Among graduates, the median salary for those in the first five years of their career was $75,600.

Academic Highlights: UC Riverside offers 80+ majors across five colleges. Twenty-seven percent of sections enroll fewer than 20 undergrads compared to 34% that enroll 50 or more students. Faculty-mentored research opportunities are available for everyone, and the school has made expanding research participation to at least one-third of the undergraduate population an institutional goal. Students can pursue mentorships with professors through the uResearch Portal and present their work at the annual Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities Symposium.

Professional Outcomes: Within one year of graduation, 47% of 2022 grads (most recent data available) were employed, 18% were pursuing an advanced degree, and 33% were still seeking their next opportunity. Less than 20% of recent grads left the state, with most remaining in Southern California. The median starting salary was $52k. More than 100 alumni work for major corporations like Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, and Deloitte. Graduates tend to remain in California, with most settling in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area.

Academic Highlights: Whittier College offers students an intimate liberal arts experience with 32 majors, all supported by an exceptional 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The innovative Whittier Scholars Program allows motivated students to design their own interdisciplinary curriculum, combining academic rigor with personalized mentorship. This flexible approach fosters intellectual curiosity while maintaining the college’s commitment to close faculty-student engagement.

Professional Outcomes: Whittier graduates build successful careers with prominent employers, including the Los Angeles Unified School District, Kaiser Permanente, and The Walt Disney Company, while many others establish thriving independent ventures. Most alumni contribute to the vibrant Southern California economy, with strong concentrations in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The college’s emphasis on critical thinking and adaptability is reflected in alumni median earnings of $59,000 after ten years, demonstrating the enduring value of a Whittier education in today’s evolving professional landscape.