Public universities in California
The College Scorecard lists 36 public colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees or higher in California, all compared on this page. Together they enroll 652,037 undergraduate degree-seeking students. The median average net price is $11,583 a year, lower than the $14,226 median for public universities nationwide. Former students' median earnings 10 years after starting college are $70,012 at the median institution, higher than the $58,635 median for public universities nationwide. The median graduation rate is 60.3%.
Open in the dashboardSource: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Schools
36
UndergraduatesiUndergraduate degree-seeking enrollment.
652,037
Median net priceiAverage yearly cost for full-time, first-time undergraduates who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. The figure here is the median across schools.
$11,583
U.S.: $14,226
Median earnings, 10 yrsiMedian earnings of former students who received federal aid, 10 years after they started college, among those working and not enrolled. The figure here is the median across institutions (branch campuses count once).
$70,012
U.S.: $58,635
Median debtiMedian federal student-loan balance of graduates. Excludes Parent PLUS and private loans. The figure here is the median across institutions (branch campuses count once).
$14,576
U.S.: $19,500
Median grad rateiShare of full-time, first-time students who finished within 150% of normal time (6 years for a 4-year degree, 3 years for a 2-year degree). The figure here is the median across schools.
60.3%
U.S.: 51.6%
Compare all public universities in California on one chart
Pick any two measures. Hover a dot to see the school; click it to open the school's page.
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Each dot is one school. Dashed lines mark the median for California. Showing 33 of 36 public universities in California; schools missing either value are left out.
All 36 public universities in California
| California State University-Fullerton Fullerton | 38,546 | $5,115 | $7,952 | $21,272 | $69,015 | $13,594 | 67.9% | 82.4% | 90.5% |
| California State University-Long Beach Long Beach | 35,924 | $9,426 | $8,338 | $21,658 | $69,554 | $14,195 | 70.3% | 86.8% | 46.3% |
| San Diego State University San Diego | 35,377 | $13,243 | $9,180 | $25,500 | $73,494 | $14,500 | 78.0% | 90.6% | 36.2% |
| University of California-San Diego La Jolla | 34,948 | $14,794 | $17,337 | $54,939 | $96,197 | $13,000 | 86.0% | 94.0% | 26.7% |
| University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles | 33,475 | $14,659 | $15,729 | $53,331 | $88,581 | $13,750 | 92.8% | 97.3% | 9.0% |
| University of California-Berkeley Berkeley | 33,068 | $14,538 | $17,198 | $54,800 | $100,212 | $12,416 | 93.7% | 96.8% | 11.0% |
| California State University-Northridge Northridge | 32,691 | $6,346 | $7,850 | $21,170 | $63,721 | $15,000 | 56.8% | 73.4% | 93.5% |
| University of California-Davis Davis | 32,253 | $14,318 | $17,346 | $54,948 | $86,999 | $12,038 | 85.7% | 92.8% | 41.8% |
| University of California-Irvine Irvine | 30,197 | $13,866 | $16,235 | $53,837 | $83,432 | $12,821 | 86.6% | 94.0% | 28.6% |
| California State University-Sacramento Sacramento | 28,350 | $11,186 | $9,014 | $22,334 | $69,014 | $15,000 | 54.4% | 81.9% | 94.0% |
| San Jose State University San Jose | 27,601 | $14,241 | $8,846 | $22,166 | $83,493 | $14,750 | 67.7% | 86.8% | 84.6% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona | 25,042 | $9,404 | $8,147 | $21,467 | $77,464 | $15,500 | 67.8% | 87.4% | 75.2% |
| University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara | 23,113 | $16,807 | $16,989 | $54,591 | $82,568 | $11,776 | 83.6% | 93.0% | 33.0% |
| University of California-Riverside Riverside | 22,593 | $12,672 | $16,103 | $53,705 | $72,974 | $16,368 | 75.1% | 87.6% | 76.4% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo | 21,996 | $18,832 | $15,039 | $37,005 | $96,304 | $16,500 | 86.6% | 95.5% | 31.3% |
| California State University-Fresno Fresno | 21,605 | $5,418 | $8,224 | $21,544 | $62,756 | $13,156 | 58.2% | 81.6% | 95.3% |
| California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles | 19,562 | $2,385 | $7,530 | $20,850 | $62,555 | $14,576 | 54.6% | 71.9% | 91.3% |
| San Francisco State University San Francisco | 18,639 | $9,803 | $8,324 | $21,644 | $73,299 | $15,000 | 50.3% | 82.7% | 96.4% |
| University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz | 17,940 | $18,549 | $16,585 | $54,187 | $73,362 | $15,000 | 73.7% | 87.9% | 65.8% |
| California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino | 15,023 | $3,946 | $8,524 | $21,844 | $61,951 | $14,625 | 53.0% | 79.6% | 93.7% |
| California State University-San Marcos San Marcos | 14,877 | $10,939 | $8,454 | $21,774 | $67,217 | $16,000 | 54.9% | 78.6% | 95.1% |
| California State University-Chico Chico | 13,631 | $14,157 | $8,896 | $22,216 | $70,012 | $14,259 | 60.3% | 81.6% | 92.7% |
| California State University-Dominguez Hills Carson | 12,538 | $7,244 | $7,853 | $21,173 | $62,587 | $15,000 | 41.7% | 73.7% | 93.3% |
| California State University-East Bay Hayward | 9,809 | $6,858 | $7,993 | $21,313 | $73,868 | $16,500 | 49.0% | 75.7% | 97.4% |
| California State University-Bakersfield Bakersfield | 8,577 | $4,001 | $8,496 | $21,816 | $62,381 | $13,246 | 48.2% | 78.8% | 93.8% |
| California State University-Stanislaus Turlock | 8,385 | $3,565 | $8,690 | $22,010 | $65,560 | $13,000 | 52.2% | 82.5% | 98.1% |
| University of California-Merced Merced | 8,372 | $11,583 | $16,271 | $53,873 | $69,352 | $13,500 | 67.7% | 82.1% | 90.5% |
| California State University-Monterey Bay Seaside | 6,819 | $13,861 | $8,145 | $21,465 | $63,891 | $11,000 | 62.5% | 79.9% | 97.4% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt Arcata | 5,612 | $13,751 | $8,824 | $22,144 | $54,882 | $17,297 | 43.7% | 76.0% | 98.2% |
| Sonoma State University Rohnert Park | 5,166 | $10,759 | $9,062 | $22,382 | $71,264 | $15,000 | 55.3% | 79.2% | 93.4% |
| California State University-Channel Islands Camarillo | 5,013 | $8,534 | $7,596 | $20,916 | $66,328 | $14,000 | 54.9% | 72.4% | 94.8% |
| University of Massachusetts Global Aliso Viejo | 4,491 | $35,957 | $12,560 | $12,560 | $68,286 | $23,000 | 0.0% | 62.2% | n/a |
| Cal Poly Maritime Academy Vallejo | 804 | $17,793 | $10,310 | $23,630 | $105,475 | $23,644 | 58.4% | 77.5% | 95.0% |
| Naval Postgraduate School Monterey | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of California College of the Law-San Francisco San Francisco | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of California-San Francisco San Francisco | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Showing 36 of 36. Starts sorted by undergraduate enrollment; select a column to sort.
Quick facts: public universities in California
- How many public universities are in California?
- The College Scorecard lists 36 public colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees or higher in California.
- What do public universities in California cost?
- Across the 33 schools that report it, the median average net price is $11,583 a year. Net price is what full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid pay after grants and scholarships. Reported net prices range from $2,385 at California State University-Los Angeles to $35,957 at University of Massachusetts Global.
- Which public universities in California have the lowest average net price?
- By reported average net price: California State University-Los Angeles ($2,385), California State University-Stanislaus ($3,565), California State University-San Bernardino ($3,946), California State University-Bakersfield ($4,001), and California State University-Fullerton ($5,115).
- How much is in-state and out-of-state tuition at public universities in California?
- The median published in-state tuition is $8,846 a year, and the median out-of-state tuition is $22,144. Many students pay less than published tuition after aid.
- How much do former students of public universities in California earn?
- At the median institution, former students who received federal aid earn $70,012 10 years after starting college (33 institutions reporting; branch campuses share one figure and count once). The highest reported medians are at Cal Poly Maritime Academy ($105,475), University of California-Berkeley ($100,212), and California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ($96,304).
- What is the graduation rate at public universities in California?
- The median graduation rate is 60.3%, across 33 schools reporting. It counts full-time, first-time students who finished within 150% of normal time.
- How much student debt do graduates of public universities in California have?
- The median institution's graduates leave with $14,576 in federal student loans (the median balance). Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Keep comparing
Other college types in California
Public universities in other states
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How these numbers work
This page includes public colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees or higher, as reported in the College Scorecard. Summary figures are medians across schools: each school counts once, whatever its size, and schools that don't report a measure are left out of that measure. The Scorecard reports earnings and debt for a whole institution, so branch campuses share one figure; for those two measures each institution counts once. Most recent data year: cost 2025, graduation and retention 2025, earnings 2022, debt 2024. More on the data.