Colleges in California
47 California colleges grouped by how selective they are. Tiers are broad bands, not admission odds.
9 University of California · 23 California State University · 15 Private
Most SelectiveUnder ~15% acceptance
- CaltechPasadena · Engineering, Sciences
- Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont
- Harvey Mudd CollegeClaremont · Engineering, Sciences, CS & IT
- Pomona CollegeClaremont
- Stanford UniversityStanford · CS & IT, Engineering, Sciences
- UC BerkeleyBerkeley · CS & IT, Engineering, Business, Sciences
- UCLALos Angeles · CS & IT, Engineering
- University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles · Business, Accounting, Arts & Media
Highly Selective~15-30% acceptance
Selective~30-50% acceptance
Moderately Selective~50-75% acceptance
Accessible75%+ acceptance
- Cal Maritime (Cal Poly Maritime Academy)Vallejo
- Cal Poly HumboldtArcata
- Cal State BakersfieldBakersfield
- Cal State Dominguez HillsCarson
- Cal State East BayHayward
- Cal State FullertonFullerton
- Cal State LALos Angeles
- Cal State NorthridgeNorthridge
- Cal State San BernardinoSan Bernardino
- Cal State San MarcosSan Marcos
- Chico StateChico
- CSU Channel IslandsCamarillo
- CSU Monterey BaySeaside
- Sacramento StateSacramento
- San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco
- San Jose State UniversitySan Jose
- Sonoma State UniversityRohnert Park
- Stanislaus StateTurlock
- UC MercedMerced
- UC RiversideRiverside
- UC Santa CruzSanta Cruz
California colleges by field
Schools in California with a widely recognized strength in each field. Not exhaustive, see each field's page for colleges in every state.
Computer Science & IT: Harvey Mudd College, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UCLA
Engineering: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Caltech, Harvey Mudd College, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UCLA
Business: UC Berkeley, University of Southern California
Accounting: University of Southern California
Natural Sciences & Math: Caltech, Harvey Mudd College, Stanford University, UC Berkeley
What a balanced California list can look like
Most counselors suggest mixing a few reaches, several realistic targets, and at least one or two likely schools. This illustration is built only from tiers and picks schools alphabetically, it isn't a recommendation for any student. Your own grades, scores, and intended major should drive the real list.
Other states
- New Jersey
- New York
- Texas
- Florida
- Pennsylvania
- Massachusetts
- Illinois
- Ohio
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- Michigan
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Washington
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Indiana
- Tennessee
- Wisconsin
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Connecticut
- South Carolina
- Alabama
- Oregon
- Kentucky
- Utah
- District of Columbia
- Louisiana
- Oklahoma
- Iowa
- Rhode Island
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- Delaware
- Arkansas
- Mississippi
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Maine
- Vermont
- Hawaii
- West Virginia
- Idaho
- Montana
- Wyoming
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Alaska
Frequently asked questions
How many California colleges are in the MajorAtlas College Finder?+
47 colleges in California are currently listed. It's a curated starting set, not every college in the state, so a school's absence doesn't mean anything about its quality.
Which California colleges are the most selective?+
By our tiers, the most selective California schools listed are Caltech, Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Pomona College, Stanford University, and UC Berkeley. Treat these as reaches for nearly every applicant and balance them with lower-tier schools.
Which California colleges are the most accessible?+
Cal Maritime (Cal Poly Maritime Academy), Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State East Bay, and Cal State Fullerton, and 15 more are in our Accessible tier, which usually admits the large majority of applicants who meet eligibility requirements. Still confirm that your intended major is offered and not capped.
Are these exact admission odds for California colleges?+
No. Tiers are broad bands based on reported acceptance rates, which change every cycle and differ by major. For a specific school's current numbers, use its Common Data Set; our guide "How to Build Your Own College List by Score and GPA" explains how.
Tiers and "known for" tags are general guidance compiled from public sources and may be out of date. Confirm details with each school.