Best Public Colleges California 2023

Best Public Colleges California 2023

By James Barham

Published: Mar 11, 2021
Updated: Mar 13, 2023

Public colleges and universities account for almost 75 percent of all undergraduate students in the U.S. The best public colleges in California provide broad access to reputable degree programs, affordable tuition, and sprawling educational communities.

10 Best Public Colleges in California

University of California, Berkeley

87%

University of California, Los Angeles

78%

University of California, San Diego

70%

University of California, Santa Barbara

65%

University of California, Irvine

64%

University of California, Davis

61%

University of California, Santa Cruz

60%

University of California, Riverside

54%

San Francisco State University

51%

San Diego State University

51%

California State University, Fresno

97%

Sonoma State University

94%

California State University, Sacramento

94%

San Francisco State University

93%

California State University, Los Angeles

91%

California State University, Dominguez Hills

90%

California State University, Northridge

88%

University of California, Merced

87%

California State University, Chico

85%

San Jose State University

84%

Santa Monica College

30 to 1

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

29 to 1

California State University, Northridge

28 to 1

San Diego State University

27 to 1

California State University, Fullerton

27 to 1

California State University, Dominguez Hills

27 to 1

California State University, Sacramento

26 to 1

California State University, East Bay

26 to 1

University of California, Santa Cruz

25 to 1

California State University, Los Angeles

25 to 1

University of California, Riverside

$11,442

University of California, Los Angeles

$11,442

University of California, Santa Cruz

$11,442

University of California, Berkeley

$11,442

University of California, Irvine

$11,442

University of California, Santa Barbara

$11,442

University of California, Davis

$11,442

University of California, Merced

$11,442

University of California, San Diego

$11,442

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

$5,742

University of California, Riverside

$11,442

University of California, Los Angeles

$11,442

University of California, Santa Cruz

$11,442

University of California, Berkeley

$11,442

University of California, Irvine

$11,442

University of California, Santa Barbara

$11,442

University of California, Davis

$11,442

University of California, Merced

$11,442

University of California, San Diego

$11,442

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

$7,176

California State University, Dominguez Hills

28%

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

30%

California State University, East Bay

33%

Santa Monica College

34%

Sonoma State University

35%

California State University, Chico

36%

University of California, Merced

36%

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

37%

California State University, Sacramento

39%

California State University, Fresno

41%

University of California, Los Angeles

11%

University of California, Berkeley

14%

University of California, Santa Barbara

29%

University of California, Irvine

29%

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

33%

University of California, San Diego

34%

San Diego State University

38%

California State University, Long Beach

47%

University of California, Davis

49%

California State University, Fullerton

59%

University of California, Los Angeles

18 to 1

University of California, Irvine

18 to 1

University of California, Santa Barbara

18 to 1

University of California, Berkeley

19 to 1

University of California, Merced

19 to 1

University of California, San Diego

19 to 1

University of California, Davis

20 to 1

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

21 to 1

Sonoma State University

21 to 1

University of California, Riverside

22 to 1

Santa Monica College

$1,104

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

$5,742

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

$5,742

California State University, Fresno

$5,742

San Diego State University

$5,742

California State University, Fullerton

$5,742

California State University, Sacramento

$5,742

California State University, Dominguez Hills

$5,742

California State University, East Bay

$5,742

California State University, Long Beach

$5,742

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

$7,176

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

$7,176

California State University, Fresno

$7,176

San Diego State University

$7,176

California State University, Fullerton

$7,176

California State University, Sacramento

$7,176

California State University, Dominguez Hills

$7,176

California State University, East Bay

$7,176

California State University, Long Beach

$7,176

San Francisco State University

$7,176

Colleges and Universities in California

California’s higher education institutes span across the entire state, allowing students to study by the beach, in the forest, in small towns, and in large cities. There are over 30 high quality online programs that would allow you to earn a degree from literally anywhere in California, or the world.

The state’s largest university is the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). UCLA serves nearly 44,000 students and offers a tuition rate around $13,000. This isn’t the only school with a large student body though. California is home to 23 colleges and universities with student populations of over 20,000 students.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

However, more than half of the state’s schools serve smaller student populations, offering plenty of options for students who crave a more intimate campus experience. Additionally, California boasts 50 religiously affiliated schools. Many of these schools have high graduation rates. However, tuition costs can range greatly, from $8,000 at Bethesda University up to $54,000 at Pepperdine University.

Additionally, many of California’s colleges and universities boast influential faculty and alumni, including Neil Armstrong, Jerry Lewis, and Weird Al Yankovic. In addition to famous alumni and professors, California’s schools are also home to some of the country’s top degree programs, including nursing, business, religious studies, education, literature, and law. Many of these schools offer online courses and complete online programs in these same disciplines.

Though Hollywood has given us an inside look into California’s most popular landmarks and attractions, these one-of-a-kind places aren’t the only reason people flock to The Golden State. With hundreds of colleges and universities, as well as community and junior colleges, to choose from, students have countless opportunities to further their education in California.

Many of these opportunities are also accessible through online courses and online colleges. A growing number of online programs in California have received accreditation from the Western Association of Schools, which means online students have a higher level of quality assurance than ever before. It’s also worth noting that students who live in California can still get an in-state discount on their associate degree or bachelor’s degree even when completing online courses or online programs.

To learn more about earning your degree in California, check out some of the state’s top programs and career paths.

What are California’s Colleges & Universities?

California’s Best Overall

What is the difference between public and private colleges?

Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.

Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.

California's Best Public Colleges Badge — Download Badge

This list is composed entirely of public colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 47 public universities in California. To be included in our list of the best public colleges in California, shcools must receive direct funding from the state, be fully accredited, and offer a broad range of bachelor’s degress.

How do we determine California's best public colleges and universities?

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Public Colleges in California 2022

California’s Best Public College in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.