Top Private College Values in California, 2014

California residents seeking to attend college within a reasonable distance from home have plenty of smart options.

California residents seeking to attend college within a reasonable distance from home have plenty of smart options. Among our list of the top values in private colleges, 16 of them are in California. Click on any school in the map or list below to get more details about its academic quality and affordability.

Private Universities

Stanford University (Stanford)

Rank among all private universities: 7

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Prominent alumni: John Elway, Ted Koppel, Sandra Day O’Connor

California Institute of Technology (Pasadena)

Rank among all private universities: 9

Prominent alumni: Frank Capra, C. Gordon Fullerton, Harrison Schmitt

University of Southern California (Los Angeles)

Rank among all private universities: 29

Prominent alumni: Neil Armstrong, Allyson Felix, Ron Howard

Santa Clara University (Santa Clara)

Rank among all private universities: 39

Prominent alumni: Brendan Eich, Steve Nash, Leon Panetta

Pepperdine University (Malibu)

Rank among all private universities: 43

Prominent alumni: Dennis Johnson, Tia and Tamera Mowry, Bill Weir

Point Loma Nazarene University (San Diego)

Rank among all private universities: 69

Prominent alumni: Doug TenNapel

University of San Diego (San Diego)

Rank among all private universities: 71

Prominent alumni: Shelley Berkley, Mike Brown, Frances Fragos Townsend

Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles)

Rank among all private universities: 94

Prominent alumni: Johnnie Cochran, Clark Duke, Gabriella Gomez

Liberal Arts Colleges

Pomona College (Claremont)

Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 2

Prominent alumni: William B. Bader, Bill Keller, Kris Kristofferson

Claremont McKenna College (Claremont)

Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 14

Prominent alumni: William W. Crouch, David Dreier, Henry Kravis

Scripps College (Claremont)

Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 27

Prominent alumni: Serena Altschul, Gabrielle Giffords, Beth Nolan

Harvey Mudd College (Claremont)

Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 36

Prominent alumni: Jonathan Gay, Stan Love, Michael G. Wilson

Pitzer College (Claremont)

Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 39

Prominent alumni: Bridget Baker, David Bloom, Debra Wong Yang

Thomas Aquinas College (Santa Paula)

Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 41

Prominent alumni: Mary Bridget Neumayr, Karen Walker

Occidental College (Los Angeles)

Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 57

Prominent alumni: Ben Affleck, Andrea Elliott, Jack Kemp

Westmont College (Santa Barbara)

Rank among all liberal-arts colleges: 83

Prominent alumni: David Batstone, Allen Hopkins

See top values in private universities in New England.