Best California National Universities
Stanford University ranked first and California Institute of Technology ranked second in 2025 National Universities rankings in California. (Read our ranking methodology and know how to rank.)
The following list summarizes the core statistics for top 33 National Universities in California. You can check the schools in the comparison table below.
- The average undergraduate tuition & fees of the top 33 National Universities in California is $53,139.
- The average graduate tuition & fees of the top 33 National Universities in California is $38,717.
- The average SAT score is 1,412 and the average acceptance rate is 34.07%.
- The average number of students is 22,211 and the students to faculty ratio is 12 to 1.
- The average graduation rate is 86.07% and the transfer-out rate is 3.50%.
Best California National Universities Comparison Table
The following table shows Best California National Universities. You can sort the table by column by clicking/touching column titles and narrow down the college list by using buttons below.
| Rank | College Name | Undergraduate Tuition & Fees | Graduate Tuition & Fees | SAT Score | Acceptance Rate | Population | Graduation Rate | Student to Faculty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford University Stanford, CA | $65,910 | $61,878 | 1,550 | 4% | 18,625 | 92% | 6 to 1 |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA | $65,898 | $65,706 | - | 3% | 2,430 | 94% | 3 to 1 |
| 3 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | $71,647 | $71,515 | 1,500 | 10% | 46,566 | 92% | 9 to 1 |
| 4 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | $47,265 | $30,968 | - | 11% | 45,882 | 93% | 18 to 1 |
| 5 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | $46,121 | $29,578 | - | 9% | 47,335 | 93% | 20 to 1 |
| 6 | Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA | $61,293 | $31,694 | 1,420 | 48% | 9,728 | 88% | 11 to 1 |
| 7 | Pepperdine University Malibu, CA | $69,918 | $44,056 | 1,370 | 63% | 8,976 | 83% | 12 to 1 |
| 8 | University of the Pacific Stockton, CA | $57,080 | $55,452 | 1,345 | 71% | 6,944 | 69% | 13 to 1 |
| 9 | Northcentral University San Diego, CA | $12,594 | $17,998 | - | - | 9,489 | - | 1 to 1 |
| 10 | Loma Linda University Loma Linda, CA | $29,960 | $34,460 | - | - | 4,210 | - | 3 to 1 |
| 11 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA | $47,676 | $30,199 | - | 27% | 44,256 | 86% | 19 to 1 |
| 12 | University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | $47,332 | $30,226 | - | 33% | 26,133 | 83% | 17 to 1 |
| 13 | Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA | $61,867 | $23,172 | 1,350 | 45% | 10,179 | 79% | 10 to 1 |
| 14 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA | $47,692 | $30,243 | - | 42% | 40,065 | 86% | 22 to 1 |
| 15 | University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA | $46,640 | $29,929 | - | 29% | 37,297 | 87% | 19 to 1 |
| 16 | University of San Diego San Diego, CA | $59,486 | $31,240 | - | 52% | 9,714 | 84% | 13 to 1 |
| 17 | Chapman University Orange, CA | $64,984 | $39,868 | 1,350 | 65% | 9,760 | 82% | 12 to 1 |
| 18 | Biola University La Mirada, CA | $48,984 | $12,672 | 1,265 | 74% | 5,434 | 68% | 15 to 1 |
| 19 | University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA | $60,522 | $29,960 | 1,290 | 62% | 8,913 | 70% | 11 to 1 |
| 20 | Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA | $44,458 | $17,015 | 1,105 | 88% | 6,272 | 62% | 9 to 1 |
| 21 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA | $21,328 | $20,332 | - | 36% | 41,137 | 76% | 27 to 1 |
| 22 | University of La Verne La Verne, CA | $49,470 | $15,318 | 1,095 | 71% | 5,021 | 63% | 10 to 1 |
| 23 | University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA | $46,923 | $30,512 | - | 66% | 19,938 | 75% | 22 to 1 |
| 24 | The Master's University and Seminary Santa Clarita, CA | $39,020 | $10,410 | - | 84% | 2,860 | 68% | 13 to 1 |
| 25 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA | $19,974 | $18,978 | - | 46% | 42,003 | 69% | 23 to 1 |
| 26 | California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA | $20,070 | $19,074 | - | 91% | 43,662 | 70% | 26 to 1 |
| 27 | University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA | $46,524 | $30,014 | - | 76% | 26,384 | 76% | 22 to 1 |
| 28 | Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA | $36,390 | $37,180 | - | - | 1,771 | - | - |
| 29 | California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA | $20,688 | $19,692 | - | 94% | 18,492 | 55% | 22 to 1 |
| 30 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA | $20,446 | $19,450 | - | 96% | 22,563 | 50% | 19 to 1 |
| 31 | California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA | $19,941 | $18,945 | - | 95% | 24,427 | 57% | 22 to 1 |
| 32 | Concordia University-Irvine Irvine, CA | $43,480 | $8,895 | - | 66% | 3,658 | 58% | 13 to 1 |
| 33 | California State University-East Bay Hayward, CA | $20,183 | $19,187 | - | 97% | 12,326 | 48% | 22 to 1 |
| Average | $53,139 | $38,717 | 1,412 | 34% | 22,211 | 86% | 12 to 1 |
California Colleges by Ranking and School Type