Social Sciences colleges in California, ranked by graduates
49 colleges in California awarded at least 10 bachelor's degrees in social sciences in 2023: 20,536 degrees, 11.2% of all bachelor's degrees at those colleges (6.8% across every college CollegeCalcAI tracks). UCLA graduated the most (2,336, 24.4% of its class). 27 of the 49 are public universities. The median acceptance rate among them is 74%; the most selective is Stanford University at 4%.
Social Sciences colleges in California
Every California college awarding at least 10 bachelor's degrees in social sciences, ranked by 2023 graduates. Click a college for its social sciences page.
| # | College | Type | Degrees (2023) | Share of grads | Acceptance rate | SAT 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | Public | 2,336 | 24.4% | 9% | 1510 |
| 2 | UC Santa Barbara | Public | 1,713 | 26.6% | 33% | 1430 |
| 3 | University of California, Berkeley | Public | 1,520 | 16.5% | 11% | 1530 |
| 4 | UC Irvine | Public | 1,313 | 16% | 29% | 1420 |
| 5 | UC Davis | Public | 1,055 | 12.9% | 42% | 1380 |
| 6 | UC Riverside | Public | 922 | 17.1% | 76% | 1300 |
| 7 | UC San Diego | Public | 842 | 9.4% | 27% | 1490 |
| 8 | Cal State Northridge | Public | 728 | 8.9% | 93% | 1150 |
| 9 | Sacramento State University | Public | 691 | 9.1% | 94% | 1170 |
| 10 | San Diego State University | Public | 662 | 7.7% | 36% | 1340 |
| 11 | Fresno State University | Public | 642 | 12.4% | 95% | 1160 |
| 12 | Cal State Long Beach | Public | 622 | 7.1% | 46% | 1280 |
| 13 | Cal State San Marcos | Public | 584 | 17.6% | 95% | 1190 |
| 14 | University of Southern California | Private | 549 | 9.5% | 10% | 1530 |
| 15 | Cal State Fullerton | Public | 547 | 5.8% | 91% | 1230 |
| 16 | Cal Poly Pomona | Public | 483 | 8.2% | 75% | 1300 |
| 17 | UC Santa Cruz | Public | 475 | 10.2% | 66% | 1180 |
| 18 | Cal State Los Angeles | Public | 441 | 8.3% | 91% | 1150 |
| 19 | Cal State San Bernardino | Public | 424 | 9.8% | 94% | 1090 |
| 20 | San Jose State University | Public | 386 | 6.1% | 85% | 1220 |
| 21 | San Francisco State University | Public | 352 | 7% | 96% | 1180 |
| 22 | Cal State Chico | Public | 335 | 10.3% | 93% | 1170 |
| 23 | Stanford University | Private | 287 | 15.7% | 4% | 1570 |
| 24 | Loyola Marymount University | Private | 247 | 14.6% | 45% | 1370 |
| 25 | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | Public | 245 | 4.9% | 31% | 1420 |
| 26 | Cal State East Bay | Public | 244 | 7.6% | 97% | 1080 |
| 27 | Cal State Stanislaus | Public | 233 | 9.4% | 98% | 1080 |
| 28 | Cal State Dominguez Hills | Public | 230 | 7.3% | 93% | 1020 |
| 29 | Claremont McKenna College | Private | 150 | 43.7% | 10% | 1520 |
| 30 | Santa Clara University | Private | 143 | 10.7% | 48% | 1430 |
| 31 | University of San Diego | Private | 139 | 10.8% | 52% | 1360 |
| 32 | University of San Francisco | Private | 137 | 10.4% | 62% | 1340 |
| 33 | Cal Poly Humboldt | Public | 114 | 8.6% | 98% | 1150 |
| 34 | Occidental College | Private | 92 | 22.9% | 44% | 1420 |
| 35 | Pepperdine University | Private | 91 | 10.9% | 63% | 1400 |
| 36 | Cal State Monterey Bay | Public | 83 | 4.7% | 97% | 1130 |
| 37 | Pomona College | Private | 81 | 18% | 7% | 1540 |
| 38 | California Lutheran University | Private | 65 | 10.2% | 76% | 1230 |
| 39 | Chapman University | Private | 63 | 3.5% | 65% | 1380 |
| 40 | Saint Mary's College of California | Private | 57 | 8.5% | 87% | 1290 |
| 41 | California Baptist University | Private | 40 | 2.1% | 85% | 1170 |
| 42 | University of the Pacific | Private | 37 | 4.7% | 71% | 1300 |
| 43 | Azusa Pacific University | Private | 25 | 2.1% | 88% | 1200 |
| 44 | Point Loma Nazarene University | Private | 25 | 3.1% | 84% | 1290 |
| 45 | Biola University | Private | 22 | 2.9% | 74% | 1260 |
| 46 | Westmont College | Private | 21 | 6.5% | 77% | 1150 |
| 47 | Fresno Pacific University | Private | 20 | 3.8% | 64% | 1150 |
| 48 | Vanguard University | Private | 13 | 2.6% | 62% | 1150 |
| 49 | Dominican University (CA) | Private | 10 | 3.4% | 84% | 1150 |
Questions about social sciences colleges in California
What is the best college for social sciences in California?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in 2023, the largest social sciences programs in California are UCLA (2,336), UC Santa Barbara (1,713), University of California, Berkeley (1,520). "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 social sciences?
49 four-year colleges in California awarded 10 or more bachelor's degrees in social sciences in 2023, 27 public and 22 private, for 20,536 graduates in total.
Is in-state status an advantage for social sciences in California?
At the 27 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.
Social Sciences 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.