California has 669 colleges including 302 four-year colleges, 175 community colleges, and 192 trade schools. By control type, 173 schools are public and 496 schools are private. 2,733,301 students enrolled in California colleges according to IPEDS.
For 4-year colleges, commonly said to as colleges, there are 302 schools are active in California (66 public and 236 private). 1,660,826 students enrolled in the schools, by gender, 732,424 men and 928,402 women students.
These colleges have an average acceptance rate of 68.21% and an average SAT score of 1,329. The average tuition & fees for in-state students is $6,033 and for out-of-state students is $19,590. The average enrollment is about 5,499 students per college. On average, each college offers about 53 programs.
25 Prominent California Colleges
The following table lists major colleges in California that have high enrollment, good academic reputation, and recognized by California residents. It includes 13 public institutions and 12 private institutions.
California Major Colleges by Region| Region | Prominent Institutions |
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| Bay Area / Northern California | University of California-Berkeley (Berkeley) |
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| Greater Los Angeles / Southern California | University of California-Los Angeles (Los Angeles), University of Southern California (Los Angeles) |
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| Central Coast / Claremont Region | Pomona College (Claremont), Claremont McKenna College (Claremont), Harvey Mudd College (Claremont) |
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| Southern Coastal / San Diego | University of California-San Diego (La Jolla), San Diego State University (San Diego), University of California-Irvine (Irvine) |
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| Central Valley / Inland | University of California-Davis (Davis), California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo), California State University-Fullerton (Fullerton) |
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University of California-Berkeley, located in Berkeley, is generally considered the flagship institution in California. It offers wide range of programs in both undergraduate and graduate levels, including 209 graduate programs. Its total enrollment is approximately 45,882 including 1,793 online students.
University of California-Los Angeles has the highest enrollment among these colleges, with a student population of 47,335 students and University of Southern California offers the most number of programs of 470.
Of the major colleges in California, 10 law schools and 7 medical schools are affiliated with these colleges. 5 colleges like Stanford University and University of Southern California have both a law school and a medical school. You can check the law schools and medical schools in the table below.
Notable public institutions
Prominent private institutions