--- title: Best Colleges in the West description: Money's ratings weigh graduation rates, average costs and alumni salaries to find the top schools. These are the best colleges in the West. authors: - name: Pete Grieve role: Lead News Reporter url: https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/ bio: Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter. In his time at Money, Pete has covered everything from car buying to credit cards to the housing market. education: University of Chicago, BA Political Science at_money_since: 2022 articles: 600 covers: - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/pete_grieve - https://linkedin.com/in/pete-grieve-b5aa02138 - https://www.facebook.com/petegrieve4 editors: - name: Kaitlin Mulhere role: Editor url: https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/ bio: Kaitlin Mulhere is an editor at Money.com. Since joining in 2015, she’s written and edited about a variety of personal finance topics, including banks, credit, student debt, saving strategies and more. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2015 articles: 217 covers: - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/KMulhere - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-mulhere-64503048/ published: '2023-06-22T14:06:11.000Z' modified: '2024-04-17T13:11:14.000Z' section: Everyday Money tags: - News word_count: 962 canonical: https://money.com/best-colleges-in-the-west/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Students walking around the UC Berkeley gate](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-Feature-Berkeley.jpg) While all seven colleges in the West that earned Money's highest 5-star rating this year are California universities, there's diversity within the bunch. Northern California is represented by Bay Area rivals Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley, but Southern California also shines as home to an impressive number of colleges that our analysis finds are worth the money. In the Los Angeles area, you have the smallest 5-star college in the West, Caltech, with just under 1,000 undergrads, and UCLA, one of the largest, with more than 32,000. In all, four University of California system schools received Money's highest rating. That's remarkable but not necessarily surprising: UC schools routinely perform well in our annual analysis of the [Best Colleges in America](https://money.com/best-colleges/) because they tend deliver on all three data categories in our [methodology](https://money.com/best-colleges/methodology/): affordability, quality and outcomes. Ready for the West Coast college lifestyle? Below is a breakdown of the 5-star colleges in the region, in alphabetical order. See the full list of [Best Colleges in the West here](https://money.com/best-colleges/rankings/best-colleges-west/). ## Cover your college expenses with a Student Loan, so you can focus solely on your grades and education. ### With a Student Loan from College Ave, you can worry less about tuition and devote your energy to mapping out your future. Click on your state and take the first step today. [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/u3e72cf8ee70?ap_referrer=%2Fbest-colleges-in-the-west%2F) ## California Institute of Technology ![group of five students sitting on the campus lawn at The California Institute of Technology](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-California-Institute-Technology.jpg) - **Location:** Pasadena, California - **Estimated price with average grant:** $32,300 - **Graduation rate:** 94% - **Early career earnings:** $104,200 Even by the demanding standards of elite schools, Caltech is tough. Freshmen take their first-year courses pass/fail to ease into the school, but after that, professors are notoriously hard graders. With the challenging workload comes the chance to brush shoulders with some of the science world’s top thinkers: The school boasts 46 Nobel laureates and 42 MacArthur fellows among its alumni and faculty members. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/california-institute-of-technology/). ## California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo ![Aerial view of students at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo campus](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-California-Polytechnic-State-University-San-Luis-Obispo.jpg) - **Location:** San Luis Obispo, California - **Estimated price with average grant:** $22,200 - **Graduation rate:** 83% - **Early career earnings:** $85,800 Cal Poly is a skills-focused university with 65 majors, including one in wine and viticulture and several within its well-known engineering school. The campus, near the coast and about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, covers more than 9,100 acres and uses canyons, ranches, beaches and even a farm to teach students hands-on lessons in agriculture, biology and forestry. More than 90% of Cal Poly graduates are working full time or in grad schools within a year, and they generally go on to earn strong early career salaries. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo/). ## Stanford University ![Students walking on campus at Stanford University](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-Stanford.jpg) - **Location:** Stanford, California - **Estimated price with average grant:** $15,400 - **Graduation rate:** 94% - **Early career earnings:** $107,000 Stanford is one of the hardest schools in the country to get into, accepting only 4% of applicants. Once there, the educational demands can be intense. Students often describe themselves as "ducks," because they try to appear serene while paddling desperately to keep going. But the results speak for themselves. Not only does Stanford have a 94% graduation rate, but its former students also founded Google, Yahoo, Cisco and many other tech companies. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/stanford-university/). ## University of California, Berkeley ![The University Library exterior at UC Berkeley](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-University-California-Berkeley.jpg) - **Location:** Berkeley, California - **Estimated price with average grant:** $18,900 - **Graduation rate:** 93% - **Early career earnings:** $88,000 As with many big universities, lower-level classes at Cal are large — one computer science course usually draws more than 1,000 students. But with scale also comes a mind-boggling array of choices for non-academic pursuits, including more than 60 sororities and fraternities, as well as hundreds of clubs. Sports are a big attraction on campus, and the Golden Bears' Division I sports teams tend to be very strong. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/university-of-california-berkeley/). ## University of California, Irvine ![students on campus during a sport activity at The University of California, Irvine](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-University-California-Irvine.jpg) - **Location:** Irvine, California - **Estimated price with average grant:** $12,500 - **Graduation rate:** 86% - **Early career earnings:** $76,600 Founded in 1965, Irvine is one of the youngest campuses in the state's public university system, but it's already among the world's most respected research institutions. The university has a sweet location in the sunny suburbs of Orange County, just miles from famous California beaches and Disneyland, and about a one hour drive from downtown Los Angeles. Theme parks not your style? Surfing, snowboarding, skiing, sailing, cycling, desert camping, sunbathing and hiking are all on the table. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/university-of-california-irvine/). ## University of California, Los Angeles ![Two students on campus looking at a smartphone at UCLA](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-University-California-Los-Angeles.jpg) - **Location:** Los Angeles - **Estimated price with average grant:** $14,400 - **Graduation rate:** 92% - **Early career earnings:** $79,800 There's a lot of star power at UCLA. There are professors like computer science pioneer Leonard Kleinrock, who sent the first message over the internet. Scores of former students from the university's Theater, Film and Television school work in Hollywood. On the sports front, the Bruins have produced a galaxy of stars, including Arthur Ashe, Jackie Robinson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. That said, the university does a fine job of supporting ordinary students as well. Over a quarter of its students come from low-income families, and about 92% graduate in six years. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/university-of-california-los-angeles/). ## University of California, San Diego ![Aerial view of The University of California, San Diego during sunset](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-University-California-San-Diego.jpg) - **Location:** San Diego - **Estimated price with average grant:** $16,800 - **Graduation rate:** 88% - **Early career earnings:** $82,300 UCSD is renowned for its science programs and stellar faculty. Each year, hundreds of students flock to the university's gospel choir classes, thanks to the popularity of music professor Kenneth Anderson. Notable alumni include Mike Judge, creator of TV shows like *King of the Hill*, and Billy Beane, who put his UCSD economics coursework and statistical analysis training to use for the Oakland Athletics team — a feat immortalized in the book and movie *Moneyball*. The college's annual Sun God Festival is one of the most popular events of the year, attracting performers like Vince Staples, Snoop Dogg and Hayley Kiyoko. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/university-of-california-san-diego/). *Notes: Prices for public universities reflect in-state tuition charges. Graduation rate measures degree completion within six years for both transfer students and first-time students. Early career earnings are the median earnings for both graduates and non-completers, 10 years after they first enrolled. Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson’s, Money/Witlytic calculations.* ## Consider applying for a Student Loan ahead of the 2026-2027 school year ### Student Loan lenders like College Ave can help you afford tuition and material costs for the school year. Get started below and see how much loan you can qualify for. [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/u4731dbf21ac?ap_referrer=%2Fbest-colleges-in-the-west%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/best-colleges-in-the-west/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Everyday Money", "item": "https://money.com/section/everyday-money/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "News", "item": "https://money.com/tag/news/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Best Colleges in the West" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/best-colleges-in-the-west/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/best-colleges-in-the-west/", "name": "Best Colleges in the West", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2023-06-22T14:06:11.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/best-colleges-in-the-west/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/best-colleges-in-the-west/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-04-17T13:11:14.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "Best Colleges in the West", "articleSection": "Everyday Money", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-Feature-Berkeley.jpg", "width": 1800, "height": 1200, "caption": "Best-Colleges-2023-West-Feature-Berkeley" }, { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-California-Institute-Technology.jpg", "width": 800, "height": 373 }, { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-California-Polytechnic-State-University-San-Luis-Obispo.jpg", "width": 800, "height": 373 }, { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-Stanford.jpg", "width": 800, "height": 373 }, { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-University-California-Berkeley.jpg", "width": 800, "height": 373 }, { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-University-California-Irvine.jpg", "width": 800, "height": 373 }, { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-University-California-Los-Angeles.jpg", "width": 800, "height": 373 }, { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-West-University-California-San-Diego.jpg", "width": 800, "height": 373 } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pete Grieve", "url": "https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/#author", "description": "Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter. In his time at Money, Pete has covered everything from car buying to credit cards to the housing market.", "image": "https://img.money.com/2023/02/peter.png?w=350&h=430&crop=1", "email": "peter.grieve@money.com", "jobTitle": "Lead News Reporter", "alumniOf": "University of Chicago, BA Political Science", "sameAs": [ "https://twitter.com/pete_grieve", "https://linkedin.com/in/pete-grieve-b5aa02138", "https://www.facebook.com/petegrieve4" ], "worksFor": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2023-06-22T14:06:11.000Z", "description": "Money's ratings weigh graduation rates, average costs and alumni salaries to find the top schools. These are the best colleges in the West.", "abstract": "Money's ratings weigh graduation rates, average costs and alumni salaries to find the top schools. These are the best colleges in the West.", "@id": "https://money.com/best-colleges-in-the-west/", "inLanguage": "en-US", "dateModified": "2024-04-17T13:11:14.000Z", "editor": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kaitlin Mulhere", "url": "https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/#author", "description": "Kaitlin Mulhere is an editor at Money.com. Since joining in 2015, she’s written and edited about a variety of personal finance topics, including banks, credit, student debt, saving strategies and more. ", "image": "https://img.money.com/2015/04/Kaitlin-Mulhere.png?w=226&h=247&crop=1", "email": "kaitlin.mulhere@money.com", "jobTitle": "Editor", "alumniOf": "University of Florida", "sameAs": [ "https://twitter.com/KMulhere", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-mulhere-64503048/" ], "worksFor": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } } ], "wordCount": 962, "keywords": [ "News" ], "about": [ { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Higher education", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_education" ] } ] } ] } ```