These Are The Best Colleges In California, New Ranking Says

Two California schools are among the top 10 colleges in the United States — including one ranked No. 2 in the nation — in Niche's newly released 2027 Best Colleges rankings.

Stanford University was ranked the second-best college in the country, behind only the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena ranked No. 6.

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Stanford also topped Niche's list of the best colleges in California, followed by Caltech, Harvey Mudd College, UCLA and Pomona College.

Niche evaluated more than 4,000 colleges and universities nationwide for its 2027 rankings, considering academics, value, student life, career preparation and other factors.

Here are the top 25 colleges in California, according to Niche:

1. Stanford University — Stanford
2. California Institute of Technology — Pasadena
3. Harvey Mudd College — Claremont
4. University of California, Los Angeles — Los Angeles
5. Pomona College — Claremont
6. Claremont McKenna College — Claremont
7. University of Southern California — Los Angeles
8. University of California, Berkeley — Berkeley
9. University of California, San Diego — La Jolla
10. University of California, Davis — Davis
11. University of California, Irvine — Irvine
12. University of California, Santa Barbara — Santa Barbara
13. Santa Clara University — Santa Clara
14. Cal Poly — San Luis Obispo
15. Thomas Aquinas College — Santa Paula
16. University of California, Riverside — Riverside
17. Pitzer College — Claremont
18. Occidental College — Los Angeles
19. University of San Diego — San Diego
20. Stanbridge University, Orange County — Irvine
21. California State University, Long Beach — Long Beach
22. California State University, Sacramento — Sacramento
23. California State University, Stanislaus — Turlock
24. San Diego State University — San Diego
25. Point Loma Nazarene University — San Diego

Niche made several changes to its methodology for the 2027 rankings, including the addition of an Institutional Success Score, which evaluates universities against their own stated mission. The rankings also include new pilot grades examining student wellness and how well colleges prepare students for the future.

The rankings combine federal data from the U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation, along with reviews from students and alumni.

The complete 2027 California rankings are available on Niche's website.