As the most populous state in the nation, California educates hundreds of thousands of college students each year.
Accordingly, the Golden State is home to the largest higher-education system in the U.S., according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
The 10 campuses that comprise the University of California system are the state’s main academic research institution, while the California State University system is the largest public four-year, higher-education system in the United States.
Numerous community colleges and private universities also dot the state’s map.
Having so many options for higher education keeps the student bodies of each campus smaller than those of some other states.
Nonetheless, the biggest schools in California still rank in the top 25 most highly attended schools in the country. Within California, these colleges are the largest by population size.
University of California, Los Angeles
46,430 Bruins
UCLA is both the most highly attended California university and the No. 1-ranking public university in America (tied with UC Berkeley), according to the U.S. News & World Report 2024 rankings.
The University of California, Los Angeles, also came in as the seventh-best college for veterans among national universities.
It placed ninth out of 100 universities in the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings, which represents the thoughts of leading, published academics from around the world.
University of California, Berkeley
45,699 California Golden Bears
The school places fourth among American public universities in the 2023 Academic Ranking of World Universities.
California State University, Fullerton
41,962 Titans
In the fall of 2023, Cal State Fullerton had a student body of 41,962.
Fullerton boasts the No. 1 spot on the Wall Street Journal’s “National Champions of Affordability” bracket for 2021-2022, third place on U.S. News & World Report’s 2021-2022 “most innovative regional university in the West” list, and the Seal of Excelencia.
The Seal of Excelencia is awarded by a nonprofit called Excelencia in Education whose mission is to accelerate the success of Latinx students in higher education. To earn the seal, the university had to prove it intentionally serves Latinx students, who make up nearly half the school’s student population.
University of California, Davis
40,848 Aggies
UC Davis remains popular, with 40,848 students enrolled in fall 2023.
The school is No. 1 in agriculture and forestry, according to the 2021 QS World University Rankings by Subject, as well as No. 1 in veterinary science. It came in sixth place in the U.S. News & World Report 2024 rankings of the best public colleges.
The University of California, Davis, also raised a record-setting $1.07 billion in research funding for 2021-2022.
California State University, Long Beach
39,530 ’49ers
In the fall of 2023, there were 39,530 students enrolled at Long Beach, which was then the most-applied-to school within the California State University system.
It also earned four and a half out of five stars on Money’s rankings of “The Best Colleges in America 2023.”
The Beach, as its students call it, was No. 1 among national universities in promoting social mobility, according to the U.S. News & World Report in 2023.
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