In California, there are a total of 2,733,301 students enrolled in higher education institutions. Of these, 2,219,443 attend public colleges and universities, while 513,858 are enrolled in private institutions. This comprehensive overview highlights the scale and diversity of college enrollment in California, helping prospective students and families understand their options among the largest educational institutions.
Explore Largest California Private Colleges with the Most Students, where 46,566 students are enrolled at University of Southern California, making it the largest institution in terms of enrollment.
Following closely, Stanford University ranks second with 18,625 students, while California Baptist University holds the third spot at 11,902. These institutions set the benchmark for large-scale education.
The average undergraduate tuition & fees of the schools is $57,453 and graduate tuition & fees is $36,451 for the academic year 2024-2025.
For these well-regarded Largest California Private Colleges with the Most Students, the average acceptance rate is 50.69% and the average SAT score is 1,404, indicating a moderately selective admissions process.
Our analysis includes colleges with at least 1,000 total enrollments and excludes online universities to provide a balanced overview. For a comprehensive list of online universities, visit the largest California private online colleges.
| School Name | Total Population | Undergraduate | Graduate | Men | Women | Online Enrollment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CAPrivate, 4-year | 46,566 581 | 20,630 (44.30%) | 25,936 (55.70%) | 21,836 (46.89%) | 24,730 (53.11%) | 6,077 (13.05%) |
| 2 - | Stanford University Stanford, CAPrivate, 4-year | 18,625 179 | 7,904 (42.44%) | 10,721 (57.56%) | 9,667 (51.90%) | 8,958 (48.10%) | 350 (1.88%) |
| 3 - | California Baptist University Riverside, CAPrivate, 4-year | 11,902 495 | 8,417 (70.72%) | 3,485 (29.28%) | 4,128 (34.68%) | 7,774 (65.32%) | 3,062 (25.73%) |
| 4 - | Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CAPrivate, 4-year | 10,179 77 | 7,273 (71.45%) | 2,906 (28.55%) | 4,592 (45.11%) | 5,587 (54.89%) | 568 (5.58%) |
| 5 - | Chapman University Orange, CAPrivate, 4-year | 9,760 201 | 7,713 (79.03%) | 2,047 (20.97%) | 3,770 (38.63%) | 5,990 (61.37%) | 1 (0.01%) |
| 6 1 | Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CAPrivate, 4-year | 9,728 388 | 6,577 (67.61%) | 3,151 (32.39%) | 4,719 (48.51%) | 5,009 (51.49%) | 500 (5.14%) |
| 7 2 | University of San Diego San Diego, CAPrivate, 4-year | 9,714 604 | 5,851 (60.23%) | 3,863 (39.77%) | 4,231 (43.56%) | 5,483 (56.44%) | 1,470 (15.13%) |
| 8 2 | Pepperdine University Malibu, CAPrivate, 4-year | 8,976 569 | 3,553 (39.58%) | 5,423 (60.42%) | 2,983 (33.23%) | 5,993 (66.77%) | 2,486 (27.70%) |
| 9 1 | University of San Francisco San Francisco, CAPrivate, 4-year | 8,913 299 | 5,321 (59.70%) | 3,592 (40.30%) | 3,185 (35.73%) | 5,728 (64.27%) | 529 (5.94%) |
| 10 1 | Westcliff University Irvine, CAPrivate, 4-year | 7,686 1,154 | 2,363 (30.74%) | 5,323 (69.26%) | 4,407 (57.34%) | 3,279 (42.66%) | 2,520 (32.79%) |
| Average | 14,205 | 7,560 (53.22%) | 6,645 (46.78%) | 6,352 (44.72%) | 7,853 (55.28%) | 1,756 (12.36%) |