California has no shortage of universities that can turn a sunny campus into a serious academic career. From elite research institutions to highly competitive public schools, the state has built a college landscape that consistently attracts some of the brightest students in the country.
For students hoping to stay on the West Coast, that means some of America’s very best schools are right here — including several in Southern California. Forbes has just released its latest ranking of America’s Top Colleges, and three California universities landed in the national top 10.
California takes three spots in the top 10
Stanford claimed No. 6 nationally, while Pasadena’s Caltech came in at No. 7. UC Berkeley followed at No. 9, giving California three schools among the 10 highest-ranked colleges in the country. Caltech’s placement is particularly striking. The tiny Pasadena institution has fewer than 1,100 undergraduates, yet its graduates have a reported median salary of roughly $175,400 after 10 years.
And there’s plenty of good news closer to Los Angeles, too.
UCLA ranks No. 2 among public universities
UCLA landed at No. 12 overall and No. 2 among public universities nationwide, behind only UC Berkeley.It’s another impressive showing for a school that has become one of the most competitive public universities in the country. UCLA received more than 177,000 applications for fall 2026, with just 10% of California first-year applicants admitted. USC also made the overall top 30, ranking No. 26 nationally.
More California schools make the list
The state’s strong showing doesn’t stop at its most famous universities. UC Davis ranked No. 36 overall, followed by UC Irvine at No. 37 and UC Santa Barbara at No. 39. Pomona College and Claremont McKenna College also cracked the national top 50, giving California an unusually deep collection of highly ranked schools.
The first 20 California schools in Forbes’ ranking are:
- Stanford University – No. 6
- California Institute of Technology – No. 7
- University of California, Berkeley – No. 9
- University of California, Los Angeles – No. 12
- University of California, San Diego – No. 22
- University of Southern California – No. 26
- Pomona College – No. 29
- Claremont McKenna College – No. 35
- University of California, Davis – No. 36
- University of California, Irvine – No. 37
- University of California, Santa Barbara – No. 39
- Harvey Mudd College – No. 66
- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo – No. 70
- University of San Diego – No. 71
- University of California, Santa Cruz – No. 80
- Santa Clara University – No. 90
- San Diego State University – No. 94
- University of California, Riverside – No. 97
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona – No. 104
- Pepperdine University – No. 127
