There are some amazing universities in California.  Indeed, California is blessed with some of the finest educational centers in the world, and boasts one of the best public university systems anywhere.  If you look at a chart of the top colleges and universities in the United States, the top ten list almost always has two or three from California, and the top 100 lists always contains all of California’s UC schools in addition to several of its private and state ones.

If you are thinking about attending a university in California, don’t overlook the UC system.  While they are public schools, they are each better than most private schools out there, and if you are a California resident they are vastly more affordable.  If you aren’t a resident, you can become one after a year and still make good on some serious savings in your tuition by choosing a public university in California. 

Perhaps the most famous university in California is indeed a public UC school, and that is Berkeley.  UCLA is another great university in California that is usually ranked right up there with Berkeley.  One university in California that is sometimes overlooked is UCSB; it has suffered from a ‘party school’ reputation in the past, but today has one of the finest faculties in the UC system, including several Nobel Laureates in the physical sciences areas.  Slightly easier to get into, and definitely in a more scenic location, UCSB is a fine public university in California that makes a good alternative to Berkeley or LA.

Of course, the other very famous university in California is a private one, and that is Stanford.  California’s response to Harvard, Stanford has always been an excellent learning center if you can crack into it and manage the exorbitant fees.  One alternative to consider to Stanford is USC, or University of Southern California.  Despite its name, it is actually a private school as well, but is somewhat less expensive than Stanford.  It is also an easier school to get into.  Despite these facts, it is an outstanding university in California, renown for its great networking abilites.  Connections to USC will all but guarantee that you find agreeable employment in the field you studied in.

Clearly, there are a lot of good options for universities in California.  If you are applying for the first time, thinking about transferring, or just looking for a school to spend a summer at, you should take a good look at California universities.  I may be a little bit biased having graduated from a UC, but don’t just take my word for it; do your own research and you’ll see for yourself!