Best Colleges in California
California is 163,696 square miles and contains the largest higher education system in the nation. Colleges in California include notable institutions such as Stanford University, CalTech, and UCLA. The Golden State is known for birthing the American film industry as well as the Internet, and its economy centers around professional and business services, educational and health services, financial activities, and leisure and hospitality. California has a largely mediterranean climate, but can range from polar to subtropical depending on region. The Golden Gate Bridge, Palm Springs, Yosemite National Park, and Universal Studios Hollywood are primary tourist spots. Lesser known hot spots in Cali include Victorville’s California Route 66 Museum, the Redwoods in Arcata, and the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Preserve.
How Were the Top Schools in California Chosen?
Appily determines “Best Colleges” based on publicly-available information from the US Department of Education. Several factors include, but are not limited to, data about admitted students’ academic calibers, students’ expected career outcomes after graduation, and colleges’ investments toward making their institution accessible to all students.
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Situated in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, California State University-Channel Islands is a 4-year public school and part of the CSU system. CSUCI grants undergrad degrees in 26 academic majors and has been designated an Hispanic...
Professors here tend to give you a feeling of knowing the next day will not be the same. Your learning something new everyday, and it also includes the beginning of the school. It is wonderful that it could be mixed with the material that you are...
” – Jose from Oxnard, CA
ArtCenter College of Design is a conservatory of visual arts and design principles in the greater Los Angeles area. ArtCenter confers undergrad degrees in 11 artistic fields of study including Entertainment Design, Fine Art, and Film. To display...
Art Center has provided me with not only the skills to excell in my profession, but more of a life lesson. Our school takes pride in simulating the real world. Currently working professionals to state of the art equipment, this is the place to not...
” – Daniel from La Crescenta, CAFounded in 1970, San Diego Christian College is a four-year liberal arts college that educates students through teachings of the Scripture. SDCC is a private institution and associates with the evangelical denomination of Christianity. The suburban...
San Diego Christian College is a beautiful institution. The academia is that of a liberal arts college, but it is distinctive with its motivational faculty. It is unlike any school I've heard of, and its unique, albeit unorthodox, methodology is...
” – Spencer from Santee, CA
Pacific Union College is a private, Christ-centered institution established in Napa Valley, California. While the college offers both undergraduate and graduate programs, the vast majority of students in attendance are undergraduates. PUC is part of...
PUC is a beautiful campus with a strong academic program, friendly students and helpful faculty. You will learn a little bit of everything there is to know about the world and a whole lot about yourself.
” – Anonymous
John Paul the Great Catholic University is a small private university in the San Diego metro area. JPCatholic blends hands-on instruction in creative arts and business with a Catholic liberal arts education. The school operates on a quarter system...
This is a great school for striving for personal excellence. You will grow in the faith with the curriculum centered around the love of Jesus Christ; you will grow intellectually through challenging courses and caring professors; all around, this...
” – Matthew from Escondido, CA
Founded by two nuns, Notre Dame de Namur University is a Catholic school in Silicon Valley and the third oldest college in California. NDNU is home to schools of Arts & Sciences, Business, and Education granting bachelor’s degrees in 15 areas of...
I enjoyed my stay in Belmont in July, and am looking forward to going to their holiday concert in December. The campus is small and the people are so welcoming, The counselor, Julie, is so humble and helpful. They offer an amazing tutoring program...
” – Laura from Tustin, CA
Marymount California University is a private graduate-level Catholic institution with a variety of disciplines in the arts and sciences. The university also offers a BA-MBA program, in which students can earn both a bachelor’s degree and a MBA in...
Marymount College is ideal for those who don't want to get lost in the University/Larger Colleges. I have found that the smaller classrooms allow me to feel more comfortable in seeking further help from my teachers. Their study hall, as been a...
” – Megn from Big Bear City, CA
The Laguna College of Art and Design is a private college of fine arts in Laguna Beach, California. LCAD offers undergraduate degrees in 10 art and design-related fields of study such as Animation, Game Art, and Graphic Design and the college also...
It's a great school for people who are interested in small classes with the focus on the students. The classes work you as hard as any other school and fun to take. The school is located near the beach, also allowing you to walk around the...
” – StudentOriginally founded as a single room school of optometry, West Coast University is a school of healthcare sciences with six campuses in the Los Angeles, Dallas, and Miami areas. WCU confers bachelor’s degrees in Nursing and its California locations...
Life Pacific College is a private institution affiliated with the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. The school is located in San Dimas, California, and offers both associate and bachelor’s degree programs. Favored fields of study include...
I love LPC (Life Pacific College). It is filled with tremendous accountability, encouragement, and motivation to succeed in not only academics, but in our relationship with Christ. As cliché as it sounds, we are properly being prepared for a...
” – Mary from Fresno, CAThe Academy of Art University is a for-profit college of art and design in San Francisco and the largest private school dedicated to training artists in the United States. The Academy of Art University confers bachelor’s and associate degrees in 22...
With campus located in a former freight depot, Southern California Institute of Architecture is a not-for-profit institution of architectural innovation in the urban arts district of Los Angeles. One of the only independent architecture schools in...
You will work late hours. You will be swamped with assignments and projects. You either learn to pick up the pace or drop trying. You'll look back years later and experience brain seizures at the thought of how quickly you've learned to do the things...
” – bij
Providence Christian College is a 4-year Reformed Christian liberal arts college in Pasadena, California. Providence is committed to producing students who are grounded in biblical truth, educated in the classical liberal arts and prepared to be...
Student at Providence are held to a high academic standard and the homework load is certainly not light. But that is not a bad thing and not something to be afraid of. If anything, we are ensured that we are getting a quality education and that our...
” – Eleanore from Yorba Linda, CAEstablished in 1976, Bethesda University is a private, Christ-centered institution located in Anaheim, California. All undergraduate students are required to participate in extracurricular ministry, as well as to attend a weekly chapel event...
With campus across the street from the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Colburn Conservatory of Music is a musical training academy in downtown Los Angeles affiliated with the Colburn School. Colburn confers a Bachelor of Music degree encompassing music...
Loma Linda University is a health sciences institution associated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Loma Linda campus is located in Southern California and is home to six hospitals where students gain real world experience. The university...
i think that Loma Linda has a lot to offer especially in what i want to major that's why i have chosen this college that i want to attend.
” – Damien from fontana, CANational University is a private not-for-profit institution with multiple locations throughout California and one campus in Nevada. NU provides concentrated programs aimed at adult learners with courses scheduled on weeknights and weekends. The...
National University has a wide range of courses. Their instructors are quite diverse in knowledge and experience. Ever since I transferred here I stopped screwing around and got my academic path together, you kind of have no choice but to succeed...
” – Andrew from La Quinta, CA
The American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a performing arts conservatory with a Los Angeles campus in the heart of Hollywood. The LA-based campus offers Professional Conservatory and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Music Theatre, Dance Theatre...
The Training at this institution is incredibly educating. The instructors are industry professionals who have known this business for years. At AMDA you get the foundation you need as an artist to succeed in the industry. The coursework is very...
” – Simeon from Rock Hill, SCFrom its campuses in Pasadena and San José, Pacific Oaks College is a progressive higher education institution training students to be advocates for social justice. All Pacific Oaks courses are centered around breaking down the barriers between...
