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Best General Education Schools in California

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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 2023 rankings named Claremont Graduate University the best school in California for general education students. Claremont Graduate University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Claremont.

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#2

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

The excellent programs at Stanford University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best general education schools in California. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.

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#3

Brandman University

Irvine, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Brandman University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best General Education Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Irvine, Brandman is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

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Out of the 50 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Sacramento landed the # 4 spot on the list. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Sacramento.

Full General Education at California State University - Sacramento Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for general education students. 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 landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general education programs. Located in the large city of San Diego, USD is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on General Education at University of San Diego

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

Full General Education at Point Loma Nazarene University Report

California State University - San Marcos landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general education programs. CSUSM is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Marcos.

Read full report on General Education at California State University - San Marcos

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

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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 college with a fairly large student population.

Full General Education at California State University - Long Beach Report

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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