California ranking · Clery-reported enrollment 2024

The Largest Universities in California

The 50 largest of the 590 California colleges and universities that report an enrolment to the U.S. Department of Education, ranked biggest first. Total enrolment counts online and distance students, so an institution with a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

47,335
Largest in California
590
Institutions reporting
570
Median California institution
#1
of 51 states by enrolment

University of California-Los Angeles is the largest institution in California with 47,335 students

According to U.S. Department of Education campus-safety enrollment filings for 2024, University of California-Los Angeles leads California at 47,335 students, and the five largest hold 8.5% of state enrollment. This list covers the 50 largest of 590 reporting institutions. Totals include online learners, so a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey

Largest in California
47,335
Institutions reporting
590
State students in top 5
8.5%
Median California institution
570

California in one line

University of California-Los Angeles is the largest institution in California with 47,335 students, about 83x the 570 of the median institution in the state. The five largest hold only 8.5% of the state's students, so enrolment is spread widely across many smaller institutions rather than gathered into a few.

47,335
students at University of California-Los Angeles
8.5%
of state students, in the top 5
2,666,243
students enrolled across California
17,441
the #50 cutoff

Enrollment is total students reported in the OPE campus-safety disclosure for 2024, including online and distance learners. IPEDS supplies institution location and sector. The incident column is reported on-campus Clery Act incidents per 1,000 enrolled students.

Size joined to safety

These 50 largest institutions enroll 50.9% of California's students; the other 540 reporting institutions hold the remaining 49.1%. Among the 50 mid-to-large campuses on this list, 31 sit below the 1.58 national median incident rate, and 2 also appear in the national safest-50.

50.9%
of state students, in these 50
31
below 1.58 national median /1k
2
also in national safest-50
9.38
University of California-Los Angeles rate /1k

Incident rates are on-campus Clery Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports per 1,000 enrolled students for campuses with enrollment ≥ 2,000 and a national safety rank. A lower rate is not a personal safety verdict, reporting culture and online enrollment dilute raw counts. See /rankings/safest-campuses for the size-fair national list.

Showing the top 50 of 590 California institutions by enrollment (1,358,157 of 2,666,243 students, 50.9%). The remaining 540 reporting institutions enroll 49.1% of the state total and are omitted from this capped ranking, not from the underlying federal tables.

What this ranking shows about California

California is the 1st largest US jurisdiction by total enrolment, teaching 13.4% of all reported US students. The 590 institutions reporting enrolment here split 164 public to 425 private, so neither sector defines the top of this list on its own.

Ranking by total enrolment puts institutions with large online programmes above institutions with larger physical campuses, because a virtual student body is not limited by classrooms or housing. A list of the biggest campuses by students physically present would order differently, and neither list is more correct, because they answer different questions. Enrolment here is the total headcount an institution reported to the federal OPE reporting cohort, which counts undergraduate and graduate students together and makes no distinction between full-time and part-time study. A university with a very large part-time or continuing-education population can therefore outrank one with more students on campus on any given weekday.

The incident-rate column is here because institution size changes how a raw incident count should be read, not because a larger university is more or less safe. Two institutions with the same number of reported incidents are not comparable if one enrols five times as many students, so the column expresses incidents per thousand enrolled. A rate still reflects reporting practice as much as underlying risk: an institution that encourages reporting and investigates thoroughly can record more incidents than one that does neither, and that is the opposite of what a naive reading suggests. Institutions where most students study online show diluted rates, because the denominator counts students who never set foot on a campus. Read the column as context for the size ranking, never as a safety verdict, and see our methodology for how both figures are assembled. For the same institutions ranked by cost rather than size, see the cheapest colleges rankings, or browse every institution we hold a record for.

Comparing states? See the 50 largest universities in the US, or this state's campus safety profile.

The bar to make California's top-50 list is 17,441 students. Here is where that cutoff sits among all 590 California institutions reporting enrollment:

The bar to make California's top-50 list

Clery-reported enrollment · 590 California institutions · 2024

17,441 Top 8% higher than 92% of 590 California institutions

Show national distribution 0–5,000: 443 California institutions (75%). Below this entry. 5,000–10,000: 53 California institutions (9%). Below this entry. 10,000–15,000: 34 California institutions (6%). Below this entry. 15,000–20,000: 24 California institutions (4%). This entry sits in this band. 20,000–25,000: 15 California institutions (3%). Above this entry. 25,000–30,000: 6 California institutions (1%). Above this entry. 30,000–35,000: 4 California institutions (1%). Above this entry. 35,000–40,000: 3 California institutions (1%). Above this entry. 40,000–45,000: 5 California institutions (1%). Above this entry. 45,000–50,000: 3 California institutions (1%). Above this entry. #50 cutoff 0 50,000 every California institution, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more California institutions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey · 2024

The 50 largest of California's 590 institutions

29
Chaffey CollegeRancho Cucamonga, CA · Public
Enrollment
22,460
Incidents /1k
0.62
43
Sierra CollegeRocklin, CA · Public
Enrollment
19,125
Incidents /1k
0.16
#InstitutionEnrollmentIncidents /1k
1University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA · Public47,335100% of the leader · rank #19.38
2University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit46,56698% of the leader · rank #29.64
3University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · Public45,88297% of the leader · rank #314.19
4University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, CA · Public44,25693% of the leader · rank #413.49
5California State University-FullertonFullerton, CA · Public43,66292% of the leader · rank #51.51
6California State University-Long BeachLong Beach, CA · Public42,00389% of the leader · rank #61.17
7San Diego State UniversitySan Diego, CA · Public41,13787% of the leader · rank #71.36
8University of California-DavisDavis, CA · Public40,06585% of the leader · rank #815.52
9California State University-NorthridgeNorthridge, CA · Public38,31381% of the leader · rank #93.55
10San Jose State UniversitySan Jose, CA · Public37,66180% of the leader · rank #102.28
11University of California-IrvineIrvine, CA · Public37,29779% of the leader · rank #1110.13
12East Los Angeles CollegeMonterey Park, CA · Public33,67771% of the leader · rank #120.36
13California State University-SacramentoSacramento, CA · Public31,94367% of the leader · rank #133.73
14Bakersfield CollegeBakersfield, CA · Public30,74665% of the leader · rank #141.04
15American River CollegeSacramento, CA · Public30,46264% of the leader · rank #150.13
16Mt San Antonio CollegeWalnut, CA · Public29,97163% of the leader · rank #160.30
17Fresno City CollegeFresno, CA · Public28,07159% of the leader · rank #171.10
18California State Polytechnic University-PomonaPomona, CA · Public27,63658% of the leader · rank #182.53
19Santa Ana CollegeSanta Ana, CA · Public27,24858% of the leader · rank #190.11
20University of California-RiversideRiverside, CA · Public26,38456% of the leader · rank #2019.25
21University of California-Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA · Public26,13355% of the leader · rank #2111.71
22Long Beach City CollegeLong Beach, CA · Public24,98553% of the leader · rank #220.08
23Pasadena City CollegePasadena, CA · Public24,59752% of the leader · rank #231.06
24California State University-FresnoFresno, CA · Public24,42752% of the leader · rank #248.23
25Santa Monica CollegeSanta Monica, CA · Public23,45350% of the leader · rank #250.47
26California State University-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA · Public23,16349% of the leader · rank #262.76
27California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, CA · Public23,06949% of the leader · rank #275.51
28San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco, CA · Public22,56348% of the leader · rank #283.41
29Chaffey CollegeRancho Cucamonga, CA · Public22,46047% of the leader · rank #290.62
30National UniversitySan Diego, CA · Private nonprofit22,11547% of the leader · rank #300.00
31Cerritos CollegeNorwalk, CA · Public21,85946% of the leader · rank #310.37
32Riverside City CollegeRiverside, CA · Public21,73046% of the leader · rank #320.46
33El Camino Community College DistrictTorrance, CA · Public21,66446% of the leader · rank #331.57
34Southwestern CollegeChula Vista, CA · Public20,98644% of the leader · rank #340.76
35San Joaquin Delta CollegeStockton, CA · Public20,96944% of the leader · rank #350.48
36Saddleback CollegeMission Viejo, CA · Public20,76444% of the leader · rank #360.82
37University of California-Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA · Public19,93842% of the leader · rank #377.67
38Sacramento City CollegeSacramento, CA · Public19,92042% of the leader · rank #380.25
39Palomar CollegeSan Marcos, CA · Public19,55041% of the leader · rank #390.31
40Fullerton CollegeFullerton, CA · Public19,52141% of the leader · rank #400.41
41City College of San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA · Public19,26741% of the leader · rank #411.04
42San Diego Mesa CollegeSan Diego, CA · Public19,21241% of the leader · rank #420.36
43Sierra CollegeRocklin, CA · Public19,12540% of the leader · rank #430.16
44Stanford UniversityStanford, CA · Private nonprofit18,62539% of the leader · rank #4421.26
45California State University-San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA · Public18,49239% of the leader · rank #452.00
46Modesto Junior CollegeModesto, CA · Public18,25839% of the leader · rank #460.00
47College of the CanyonsSanta Clarita, CA · Public18,07538% of the leader · rank #470.17
48Santa Rosa Junior CollegeSanta Rosa, CA · Public17,85438% of the leader · rank #480.73
49Mt San Jacinto Community College DistrictSan Jacinto, CA · Public17,62737% of the leader · rank #490.17
50Rio Hondo CollegeWhittier, CA · Public17,44137% of the leader · rank #500.17

What to do with this

Size is a starting filter for California, not a verdict on any institution.

Institutions below the reporting floor, or without enrolment in the Campus Safety and Security Survey cohort for 2024, do not appear on this list. IPEDS supplies classification and location.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security Survey (enrollment and Clery disclosures), joined to the IPEDS institutional directory (location and classification)

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every figure on this page is computed at request time from the federal source tables; no ranking position or count is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-09-11.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.