Top Colleges in California Tuition Comparison

Stanford University ranked first in the Top Colleges in California rankings, followed by California Institute of Technology and Pomona College.

The average tuition & fees of Top Colleges in California is $14,805 for in-state and $58,624 for out-of-state students for the academic year 2024-2025.

University of Southern California has the highest tuition & fees of $71,647 and Soka University of America has the lowest tuition & fees of $38,728 among Top Colleges in California. For graduate programs, the 2025 average graduate tuition & fees of the schools is $15,171 for in-state and $52,415 for out-of-state students.

The average acceptance rate is 12.07% and the SAT score is 1517 for the Top Colleges in California. Their acceptance rate is low, making it difficult to get into the schools, and the SAT score is very high.

Table. Top Colleges in California Tuition & Fees Comparison
RankSchool NameUndergraduate TuitionGraduate TuitionAcceptance RateSAT/ACT Scores Student PopulationGraduation Rate
1Stanford UniversityStanford, CA$65,910
$3,426		$61,878
$2,379		3.61%
-0.30%		1,550 SAT
35 ACT0 /0		18,625
179		92%
2California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CA$65,898
$2,643		$65,706
$2,643		2.57%
-0.57%		-2,430
-33		94%
1%
3Pomona CollegeClaremont, CA$65,420
$3,094		-7.09%
0.33%		1,540 SAT
34 ACT
20 /0		1,700
36		93%
4University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA$71,647
$3,410		$71,515
$3,387		9.81%
-0.21%		1,500 SAT
33 ACT
-10 /0		46,566
-581		92%
1%
5Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, CA$67,980
$3,830		$72,294
$3,769		9.59%
-1.53%		1,530 SAT
34 ACT
20 /0		1,393
9		91%
-4%
6Harvey Mudd CollegeClaremont, CA$68,613
$2,358		-12.66%
-0.40%		1,540 SAT
35 ACT
10 /0		951
2		92%
-1%
7Soka University of AmericaAliso Viejo, CA$38,728
$1,278		$38,728
$1,278		43.38%
-26.14%		1,440 SAT
80		495
19		92%
6%
8Middlebury Institute of International Studies at MontereyMonterey, CA$48,654
$1,628		$48,654
$1,628		--526
23		-
9University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA$46,121 ($14,233)
$1,597 ($486)		$29,578 ($14,476)
$593 ($593)		8.97%
0.24%		-47,335
657		93%
1%
10University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA$47,265 ($15,377)
$1,638 ($527)		$30,968 ($15,866)
$605 ($605)		10.98%
-0.68%		-45,882
183		93%
1%
Average$58,624 ($14,805)$52,415 ($15,171)12%1,51716,59092%
Top Colleges in California Tuition Comparison