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Best General Education Schools in California

2023 Best General Education Schools in California

50 Colleges
$58,160 Avg Salary
$26,891 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best General Education School for You

General Education is the #17 most popular major in California with 7,063 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best General Education Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 50 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best General Education Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for education majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best General Education Schools

Our analysis found Claremont Graduate University to be the best school for general education students who want to pursue a degree in California. Claremont Graduate University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Claremont.

Read full report on General Education at Claremont Graduate University

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#2

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Stanford University is a great place for general education students. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.

Full General Education at Stanford University Report

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#3

Brandman University

Irvine, CA

Out of the 50 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Brandman University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Irvine, Brandman is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Full General Education at Brandman University Report

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means California State University - Sacramento is a great place for general education students. Sac State is a very large public school located in the city of Sacramento.

Full General Education at California State University - Sacramento Report

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Out of the 50 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

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#6

University of San Diego

San Diego, CA

University of San Diego ranked #6 on this year’s Best General Education Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Diego, USD is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Full General Education at University of San Diego Report

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Point Loma Nazarene University ranked #7 on this year’s Best General Education Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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California State University - San Marcos ranked #8 on this year’s Best General Education Schools in California list. CSUSM is a large public school located in the large suburb of San Marcos.

Full General Education at California State University - San Marcos Report

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California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general education programs. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.

Full General Education at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report

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California State University - Long Beach ranked #10 on this year’s Best General Education Schools in California list. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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Best General Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best General Education Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 728
Oregon 767
Nevada 36
Hawaii 64
Alaska 26

General Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 110,226
Educational Administration 46,469
Teacher Education Subject Specific 43,297
Special Education 36,792
Curriculum & Instruction 19,832

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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