English Language and Literature colleges in California, ranked by graduates
42 colleges in California awarded at least 10 bachelor's degrees in English language and literature in 2023: 3,277 degrees, 1.9% of all bachelor's degrees at those colleges (1.6% across every college CollegeCalcAI tracks). Cal State Long Beach graduated the most (263, 3% of its class). 25 of the 42 are public universities. The median acceptance rate among them is 75%; the most selective is Stanford University at 4%.
English Language and Literature colleges in California
Every California college awarding at least 10 bachelor's degrees in English language and literature, ranked by 2023 graduates. Click a college for its English language and literature page.
| # | College | Type | Degrees (2023) | Share of grads | Acceptance rate | SAT 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cal State Long Beach | Public | 263 | 3% | 46% | 1280 |
| 2 | UCLA | Public | 253 | 2.6% | 9% | 1510 |
| 3 | University of California, Berkeley | Public | 238 | 2.6% | 11% | 1530 |
| 4 | UC Riverside | Public | 156 | 2.9% | 76% | 1300 |
| 5 | UC Irvine | Public | 146 | 1.8% | 29% | 1420 |
| 6 | Cal State Northridge | Public | 143 | 1.7% | 93% | 1150 |
| 7 | Cal State Fullerton | Public | 141 | 1.5% | 91% | 1230 |
| 8 | UC Davis | Public | 135 | 1.7% | 42% | 1380 |
| 9 | Sacramento State University | Public | 132 | 1.7% | 94% | 1170 |
| 10 | San Francisco State University | Public | 128 | 2.5% | 96% | 1180 |
| 11 | San Diego State University | Public | 126 | 1.5% | 36% | 1340 |
| 12 | Cal State San Bernardino | Public | 126 | 2.9% | 94% | 1090 |
| 13 | UC Santa Barbara | Public | 123 | 1.9% | 33% | 1430 |
| 14 | Cal State Los Angeles | Public | 97 | 1.8% | 91% | 1150 |
| 15 | Cal Poly Pomona | Public | 87 | 1.5% | 75% | 1300 |
| 16 | University of Southern California | Private | 70 | 1.2% | 10% | 1530 |
| 17 | UC San Diego | Public | 69 | 0.8% | 27% | 1490 |
| 18 | San Jose State University | Public | 68 | 1.1% | 85% | 1220 |
| 19 | Chapman University | Private | 62 | 3.4% | 65% | 1380 |
| 20 | Fresno State University | Public | 58 | 1.1% | 95% | 1160 |
| 21 | Cal State Chico | Public | 57 | 1.8% | 93% | 1170 |
| 22 | Cal State San Marcos | Public | 56 | 1.7% | 95% | 1190 |
| 23 | Cal State Stanislaus | Public | 55 | 2.2% | 98% | 1080 |
| 24 | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | Public | 52 | 1% | 31% | 1420 |
| 25 | Cal State East Bay | Public | 47 | 1.5% | 97% | 1080 |
| 26 | Cal Poly Humboldt | Public | 46 | 3.5% | 98% | 1150 |
| 27 | Cal State Dominguez Hills | Public | 43 | 1.4% | 93% | 1020 |
| 28 | California Baptist University | Private | 40 | 2.1% | 85% | 1170 |
| 29 | Loyola Marymount University | Private | 34 | 2% | 45% | 1370 |
| 30 | Stanford University | Private | 34 | 1.9% | 4% | 1570 |
| 31 | University of San Francisco | Private | 28 | 2.1% | 62% | 1340 |
| 32 | Biola University | Private | 20 | 2.6% | 74% | 1260 |
| 33 | University of San Diego | Private | 18 | 1.4% | 52% | 1360 |
| 34 | Pepperdine University | Private | 17 | 2% | 63% | 1400 |
| 35 | Santa Clara University | Private | 17 | 1.3% | 48% | 1430 |
| 36 | Vanguard University | Private | 16 | 3.2% | 62% | 1150 |
| 37 | California Lutheran University | Private | 15 | 2.4% | 76% | 1230 |
| 38 | Occidental College | Private | 15 | 3.7% | 44% | 1420 |
| 39 | Saint Mary's College of California | Private | 12 | 1.8% | 87% | 1290 |
| 40 | Azusa Pacific University | Private | 12 | 1% | 88% | 1200 |
| 41 | Point Loma Nazarene University | Private | 11 | 1.4% | 84% | 1290 |
| 42 | Pomona College | Private | 11 | 2.4% | 7% | 1540 |
Questions about English language and literature colleges in California
What is the best college for English language and literature in California?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in 2023, the largest English language and literature programs in California are Cal State Long Beach (263), UCLA (253), University of California, Berkeley (238). "Best" depends on your profile: this page ranks every California college in the field by output and shows each one's acceptance rate and admitted SAT so you can match it to your own numbers.
How many colleges in California offer English language and literature?
42 four-year colleges in California awarded 10 or more bachelor's degrees in English language and literature in 2023, 25 public and 17 private, for 3,277 graduates in total.
Is in-state status an advantage for English language and literature in California?
At the 25 public universities on this list, California residents are usually admitted at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants and pay in-state tuition. CollegeCalcAI applies the residency effect when you set your home state, and the per-major adjustment when you set the major.
English Language and Literature elsewhere
The same field in other states, and the national ranking.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 Completions (bachelor's degrees, first majors, CIP 2-digit series), joined to CollegeCalcAI's admissions dataset. Built 2026-09-19. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are not predictions or guarantees.