California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Stanford University emerged as the highest-ranked institutions in the Golden State in a recent analysis, with four California schools placing among the top 30 nationally.
WalletHub analysts assessed colleges and universities across the U.S. and compared roughly 740 higher-education institutions across 30 key measures, which were then grouped into seven categories. The metrics included student-faculty ratio, graduation rate, and post-attendance median salary.
Achieving a total score of 79.27 (compared to the highest score of 80.76), Caltech secured the No. 4 rank nationwide in WalletHub’s 2027 College and University Rankings.
Caltech stood No. 1 in the student selectivity, faculty resources, and career outcomes ranks. Located in Pasadena, the research university manages NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Stanford ranked second among California institutions and ninth nationally. Located in Silicon Valley, Stanford achieved a total score of 76.78 and placed No. 3 in the student selectivity rank.
Both institutions featured in the top five schools with the lowest admission rate, highest return on educational investment, and highest post-attendance median salary.
Another California standout institution in WalletHub’s analysis was Pomona College. The college in Claremont secured an overall rank of No. 21, with a total score of 75.39.
The institution was announced as the second-best college for 2027, with one of the fourth-best faculty-to-student ratios in the country.
Characterizing it as an extremely selective college, analysts said that Pomona College had an admission rate of only 7%.
The top 10 colleges and universities in California were:
Princeton University secured the first rank in the U.S. for the best university and best school overall. With an acceptance rate of just 5%, the Ivy League institution in Princeton, New Jersey, has one of the best student-to-faculty ratios in the nation, according to WalletHub.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was found to be the second-best university for 2027 and the second-best institution overall.
With one faculty member for every three students and incoming students having very high SAT and ACT scores, MIT was also the 31st-most racially diverse campus in the U.S.
The top 10 best colleges and universities in 2027 were:
Universities generally rank higher than colleges due to their inclusion of graduate-level programs, greater on-campus opportunities, and higher earnings for students post-graduation, WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said.
“In fact, the top 10 places for higher education in the U.S. are all universities. There are still tons of high-ranking colleges, though, which offer their own advantages like smaller class sizes, more personalized learning and often safer campuses,” he added.