California schools top a list of world-class educational institutions that cost just a fraction of their IVY League rivals.
The publicly funded universities provide students with a top-notch education for thousands of dollars less than the tuition of prestigious alternatives.
According to ForbesSeven of the 25 universities ranked as the best public schools in the US are located in California, with four of them in the top five of the list.
University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, San Diego and University of California, Santa Barbara were in the top four.
They each have a wide variety of majors and acceptance rates between 14 and 46 percent.
Criteria for the list included return on investment, student success, student debt, and alumni leadership and influence.
The University of California, Berkeley is ranked No. 1 on Forbes list of 25 public colleges in 2023 and currently has a 17 percent acceptance rate
The University of California, Los Angeles is the second best public university of 2023, has a 14 percent acceptance rate and an excellent athletics department
The University of California, Berkeley, founded in 1868, was selected as the number one public school and fifth best public school according to Forbes’ 2023 analysis.
There are more than 35,000 students enrolled at UC Berkeley, and it is a strong academic university with 350 degree programs and a 14 percent acceptance rate.
The college saw a record number of college applications from California residents: a staggering number of more than 125,800.
The alumni salary, which represents 20 percent of the decision on Forbes’ public college list, is a whopping $161,300.
The school’s alumni include 35 Nobel laureates, nine of whom are currently faculty members at UC Berkeley.
While athletic departments are not part of Forbes’ analysis, it should be noted that 121 Olympic gold medals have been awarded to students and alumni, and teams have won 98 NCAA championships in school history.
In contrast, UCLA’s athletics department has been more successful in the NCAA, winning 121 championships and a number one overall pick in almost every major league draft.
It’s unclear if this plays a role in UCLA’s number of student hopefuls, but it could play a role in the 169,800 applications it received for fall 2023.
Outside of their athletic department, the alumni salary is $140,300, but unlike Berkeley, it offers 125 majors.
However, it should be known that the school alone earns over $1 billion a year in research grants for its students studying social sciences, biological and biomedical sciences, and psychology.
Despite having a much higher acceptance rate of 37%, UC San Diego does not appear to have record-breaking application amounts like those of UC Berkeley and UCLA.
University of California, Santa Barbara received a No. 5 ranking on this year’s list and has an acceptance rate of 37 percent
However, the mid-career salary of $143,600 is still a fantastic consideration, especially in Forbes’ 2023 college analysis.
Their teaching methods are more focused on experiential learning – learning through experience rather than just in a classroom.
Students attending UC San Diego gain hands-on experience in laboratories, research facilities and public service programs.
Experiential learning has worked well for the college since its founding in 1897. Alumni include GoPro founder Nick Woodman, activist Angela Davis and former White House chief data scientist DJ Patil.
UC Santa Barbara currently has more than 26,000 students enrolled – a lot for a university, but far fewer than UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC San Diego.
However, the salary is only $200 less than UC San Diego’s $143,400 and is located near the beach.
There are also more than 200 majors for students to choose from at the university and the faculty has six winners of Nobel Prizes for research in chemistry, physics and economics.
San Diego State University was ranked number 16 on Forbes’ list of 25 public universities and is primarily a Spanish-speaking institution. The University of California, Irvine is number 23 on the list, offering more than 80 majors to more than 29,000 students
The racial or cultural population of students on a campus did not factor into the Forbes analysis, but San Diego State is the only university in California where the majority of students are Hispanic.
It is the oldest institution of higher learning in San Diego, with more than 36,000 students and a 37% acceptance rate, which is big on research.
One thing that may attract candidates is the more than 300 different student groups, but what may factor into the rankings is something other than the average alumni salary: the $164 million in research-related funding.
UC Irvine just made it into the top 25 of Forbes’ public universities, but it does have a stellar alumni salary of $146,200 with a 30% acceptance rate.
One factor that may play a role in Irvine’s assessment is the CI’s ANTrepreneur Center on campus – a hub for innovation and a space where mentors help student or alumni entrepreneurs turn their ambitions into concrete business ventures.
It is available to all UCI students regardless of their field of study and offers one-on-one coaching, startup methodology education, professional development through guest speakers, hackathons and other exciting challenges.