Notable Four-Year Colleges and Universities in California

This directory-style roundup highlights 50 four-year colleges and universities in California, selected from available COSMIQ profiles with enrollment data. The order reflects reported enrollment as a rough measure of institution size—not educational quality, outcomes, or endorsement. Enrollment figures are intentionally not shown.

Institutions

• University of Southern California — Los Angeles, California.
• University of California-Los Angeles — Los Angeles, California.
• University of California-Berkeley — Berkeley, California.
• University of California-San Diego — La Jolla, California.
• California State University-Fullerton — Fullerton, California.
• University of California-Davis — Davis, California.
• California State University-Long Beach — Long Beach, California.
• California State University-Northridge — Northridge, California.
• San Diego State University — San Diego, California.
• University of California-Irvine — Irvine, California.
• San Jose State University — San Jose, California.
• University of the People — Pasadena, California.
• California State University-Sacramento — Sacramento, California.
• California State Polytechnic University-Pomona — Pomona, California.
• Bakersfield College — Bakersfield, California.
• University of California-Riverside — Riverside, California.
• California State University-Los Angeles — Los Angeles, California.
• University of California-Santa Barbara — Santa Barbara, California.
• San Francisco State University — San Francisco, California.
• California State University-Fresno — Fresno, California.
• Santa Ana College — Santa Ana, California.
• Santa Monica College — Santa Monica, California.
• California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo — San Luis Obispo, California.
• California State University-San Bernardino — San Bernardino, California.
• University of California-Santa Cruz — Santa Cruz, California.
• National University — San Diego, California.
• Stanford University — Stanford, California.
• San Diego Mesa College — San Diego, California.
• California State University-Dominguez Hills — Carson, California.
• Modesto Junior College — Modesto, California.
• Rio Hondo College — Whittier, California.
• California State University-San Marcos — San Marcos, California.
• California State University-Chico — Chico, California.
• California State University-East Bay — Hayward, California.
• Cypress College — Cypress, California.
• Foothill College — Los Altos Hills, California.
• Antelope Valley Community College District — Lancaster, California.
• Northcentral University — San Diego, California.
• California Baptist University — Riverside, California.
• MiraCosta College — Oceanside, California.
• Loyola Marymount University — Los Angeles, California.
• California State University-Stanislaus — Turlock, California.
• Pepperdine University — Malibu, California.
• Chapman University — Orange, California.
• University of San Francisco — San Francisco, California.
• California State University-Bakersfield — Bakersfield, California.
• Santa Clara University — Santa Clara, California.
• University of California-Merced — Merced, California.
• University of San Diego — San Diego, California.
• University of Massachusetts Global — Irvine, California.

Selection and source notes

This list covers four-year-or-higher institutions in COSMIQ’s profile data; the profile dataset includes active public and private nonprofit institutions and excludes for-profit institutions.

COSMIQ college profiles use 2022 IPEDS records. Institutions are selected from available profiles with reported enrollment.

Source references: COSMIQ college profiles; National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

The article includes 50 profiles from the largest available enrollment estimates in this category. This is a size-based selection, not a “best schools” or academic-quality ranking.

Editorial note: COSMIQ has not independently evaluated or endorsed the listed institutions. Profile availability and source years vary; readers should consult each institution for current details.