Spike Rankings 2027
Best Colleges in California
Ranked on what happens to students: who finishes, what they earn, what they pay, and how far the college takes them. How Spike ranks
How this list is ranked.
Outcomes 35%, Lift 20%, Affordability 20%, Academics 15%, Opportunity 10%.
32 colleges qualify from Spike’s guide of 233. This page covers the California colleges in the guide, not every college in the state. Colleges without enough reported data are left out.
Guide updated . Data snapshot: . Sources and data years.
Personalize
32 colleges
Number 1: California Institute of Technology- 92% graduate
- $167k after 10 years
- $8,509 average net price
Number 2: Stanford University- 92% graduate
- $125k after 10 years
- $12,307 average net price
Number 3: University of California-Berkeley- 93% graduate
- $100k after 10 years
- $14,538 average net price
Number 4: University of California-Los Angeles- 93% graduate
- $89k after 10 years
- $14,659 average net price
Number 5: University of California-San Diego- 86% graduate
- $96k after 10 years
- $14,794 average net price
Number 6: University of California-Irvine- 87% graduate
- $83k after 10 years
- $13,866 average net price
Number 7: University of California-Davis- 86% graduate
- $87k after 10 years
- $14,318 average net price
Number 8: University of Southern California- 91% graduate
- $103k after 10 years
- $33,056 average net price
Number 9: University of California-Santa Barbara- 83% graduate
- $83k after 10 years
- $16,807 average net price
Number 10: California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo- 86% graduate
- $96k after 10 years
- $18,832 average net price
Number 11: University of the Pacific- 71% graduate
- $88k after 10 years
- $24,186 average net price
Number 12: Santa Clara University- 88% graduate
- $117k after 10 years
- $50,570 average net price
Number 13: San Jose State University- 68% graduate
- $83k after 10 years
- $14,241 average net price
Number 14: University of California-Riverside- 76% graduate
- $73k after 10 years
- $12,672 average net price
Number 15: California State University-Fullerton- 69% graduate
- $69k after 10 years
- $5,115 average net price
Number 16: California State University-Fresno- 58% graduate
- $63k after 10 years
- $5,418 average net price
Number 17: Pitzer College- 83% graduate
- $72k after 10 years
- $36,135 average net price
Number 18: California State University-Long Beach- 70% graduate
- $70k after 10 years
- $9,426 average net price
Number 19: Pepperdine University- 81% graduate
- $89k after 10 years
- $48,065 average net price
Number 20: Chapman University- 82% graduate
- $81k after 10 years
- $46,708 average net price
Number 21: Occidental College- 80% graduate
- $80k after 10 years
- $37,470 average net price
Number 22: University of Redlands- 66% graduate
- $81k after 10 years
- $30,924 average net price
Number 23: San Diego State University- 77% graduate
- $73k after 10 years
- $13,243 average net price
Number 24: Art Center College of Design- 80% graduate
- $76k after 10 years
- $48,389 average net price
Number 25: California State University-Northridge- 57% graduate
- $64k after 10 years
- $6,346 average net price
Number 26: California State University-Sacramento- 55% graduate
- $69k after 10 years
- $11,186 average net price
Number 27: California Lutheran University- 69% graduate
- $78k after 10 years
- $26,445 average net price
Number 28: San Francisco State University- 50% graduate
- $73k after 10 years
- $9,803 average net price
Number 29: University of San Francisco- 68% graduate
- $95k after 10 years
- $30,496 average net price
Number 30: Loyola Marymount University- 79% graduate
- $86k after 10 years
- $50,518 average net price
Number 31: Whittier College- 58% graduate
- $68k after 10 years
- $24,940 average net price
Number 32: California Institute of the Arts- 65% graduate
- $45k after 10 years
- $49,996 average net price
How to use this ranking.
Start with the overall list, then compare cost, majors and campus life. If two colleges have overlapping rank ranges, look at what matters to you before choosing between them.
What the rank does not tell you.
The weights reflect Spike’s priorities. A higher overall rank does not mean a college is a better fit for every student.
Spike ranks the colleges in its guide, not every college in America. Read the full method and its limits, or compare colleges by your own priorities.
What Spike does with this
A ranking is where to start looking.
Spike checks each college against your grades, budget and goals. Then it helps you build a list that holds up.
Free to start, right in your browser.