The critical question is not, “What is the best college to attend?” The critical question is, “What is the right college for me to attend?” The right college for you may not be one your friends are going to, a relative attended, has the most attractive brochure or website, or is closest to your home.
With access to the largest network of colleges in the world, you’ll need some criteria to determine which colleges can meet your needs. California's network of colleges includes:
- 112 California Community College campuses
- 23 California State University campuses
- 10 University of California campuses
- 78 Independent, Private, Nonprofit Colleges and Universities
You can narrow down your potential list of colleges by evaluating them against a customized criteria list: You decide which college factors are most important to you and this becomes your unique list of criteria. Use the Which College is Right for You? workbook (PDF) and checklist to figure out which factors are most important to you.
If cost is the most critical factor for you in selecting a college, you can start with a visit to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center.
CaliforniaColleges.edu is the state's official website for information about higher education in California. This site has information about more than 200 California colleges including admission requirements, location, enrollment, and more.
You can also find individual college and university websites in the California CareerZone.