Colleges and universities in California
California is home to 659 Title IV-eligible colleges and universities, enrolling about 2,770,411 students in total.
Of these, 193 are public and 466 private. The largest by enrollment include UCA, USC, and UC. Among institutions that report the figure, the median graduation rate is 65% and the median average net price is $20,898.
How the 659 institutions in California break down
Control and level come from IPEDS institutional characteristics. Pick a tile to see just that slice of the list.
8 institutions have no reported level in IPEDS; they stay in the full list but not in the level slices.
193 institutionsPublic · of 659
Page 3 of 5Los Angeles Mission College
Sylmar, California
Los Angeles Pierce College
Woodland Hills, California
Los Angeles Southwest College
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles Valley College
Valley Glen, California
Los Medanos College
Pittsburg, California
Los Rios Community College District Office
Sacramento, California
Madera Community College
Madera, California
Mendocino College
Ukiah, California
Merced College
Merced, California
Merritt College
Oakland, California
MiraCosta College
Oceanside, California
Mission College
Santa Clara, California
Modesto Junior College
Modesto, California
Monterey Peninsula College
Monterey, California
Moorpark College
Moorpark, California
Moreno Valley College
Moreno Valley, California
Mt San Antonio College
Walnut, California
Mt San Jacinto Community College District
San Jacinto, California
Mt. Diablo Adult Education - Mt. Diablo USD
Concord, California
Napa Valley College
Napa, California
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, California
Norco College
Norco, California
North Orange County Community College District
Anaheim, California
Ohlone College
Fremont, California
Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa, California
Oxnard College
Oxnard, California
Palo Verde College
Blythe, California
Palomar College
San Marcos, California
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, California
Peralta Community College System Office
Oakland, California
Pomona Unified School District Adult and Career Education
Pomona, California
Porterville College
Porterville, California
Poway Adult School
Poway, California
Rancho Santiago Community College District Office
Santa Ana, California
Reedley College
Reedley, California
Rio Hondo College
Whittier, California
Riverside City College
Riverside, California
Riverside County Office of Education - School of Career Education
Riverside, California
Sacramento City College
Sacramento, California
Saddleback College
Mission Viejo, California
San Bernardino Community College District
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino Valley College
San Bernardino, California
San Diego City College
San Diego, California
San Diego Community College District - District Office
San Diego, California
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, California
San Diego Miramar College
San Diego, California
San Diego State University
San Diego, California
Frequently asked questions
- How many colleges and universities are in California?
- California has 659 Title IV-eligible institutions in this dataset, drawn from IPEDS and College Scorecard. Together they enroll about 2,770,411 students.
- What are the largest universities in California?
- By total enrollment, the largest institutions in California are UCA, USC, UC, UCD, and CSU.
- What is the average graduation rate and net price in California?
- The median graduation rate among institutions that report one is 65%, and the median average net price is $20,898. Figures come from IPEDS and College Scorecard.
Related categories
Browse by Carnegie class
Data: IPEDS Fall 2025–26 provisional · College Scorecard (June 2026 release). All sources & release dates →
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card