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Forbes recently released itsAmerica's Top Colleges 2027 rankings, and three California schools landed in the top 10.
Stanford University, the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley made the annual list alongside 497 other institutions that Forbes said "produce the best academic and career outcomes for students from all economic backgrounds."
To determine its 2027 rankings, Forbes said it evaluated about 1,600 four-year colleges and universities and based the rankings on student outcomes rather than institutional reputation
"How successful are its students academically and in their careers? How much student debt do they carry after graduation? How many go on to become leaders as measured by Forbes’
lists and other honors? In other words, what sort of return do students get from their investment of time and money?" the publication said.
Here's what to know about the rankings, including the three California schools that made the top 10 and the other Golden State colleges that earned a spot on the list.
3 California colleges land in top 10 of Forbes' rankings
No. 6: Stanford University
Stanford University ranked as No. 6 on Forbes' report.
"Located in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, Stanford University is recognized globally for its strengths in science, engineering and entrepreneurship. Its seven schools span fields from law and business to medicine and the humanities," Forbes said. "The university has produced numerous Nobel laureates, including Carl Wieman, Paul Milgrom and Roger Kornberg, who continues to teach at Stanford's School of Medicine."
At the private university, students receive an average of $62,755 in grant aid and graduate with an average debt of $11,418, according to the publication. The median annual salary for graduates after 10 years is $126,916.
No. 7: California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology ranked as No. 7 on Forbes' report.
"(The) private research university in Pasadena, California, at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains," the publication said. "Renowned for its science and engineering programs, Caltech manages NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which designs and operates many of the nation's robotic missions exploring the solar system. Undergraduate students interested in innovation and entrepreneurship can develop startup ideas through programs such as the Bill Gross Business Plan Competition and the Timothy D. Ryan Summer Entrepreneurship Program."
Students have an average grant aid of $72,373 and average debt of $11,846, according to Forbes. The median 10-year salary for Caltech graduates is $117,278.
No. 9: University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley ranked as No. 9 on Forbes' report.
"UC Berkeley is a public research university in the San Francisco Bay Area known for groundbreaking scholarship and a long tradition of public engagement. Undergraduates can work alongside faculty through programs such as the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program, with research opportunities spanning the sciences, engineering, humanities and social sciences," the publication said. "Not only is UC Berkeley the all-time top producer of Peace Corps volunteers among American colleges and universities, but it boasts a long legacy of Nobel Prize–winning alumni and faculty."
UC Berkeley students have an average grant aid of $29,608 and average debt of $5,924. Cal graduates earn a median salary of $111,530 a decade after graduation.
Other California colleges included in Forbes' rankings
Here are the additional schools that made Forbes' rankings:
- No. 12: UCLA
- No. 22: University of California, San Diego
- No. 26: University of Southern California
- No. 29: Pomona College
- No. 25: Claremont McKenna College
- No. 36: University of California, Davis
- No. 37: University of California, Irvine
- No. 39: University of California, Santa Barbara
- No. 66: Harvey Mudd College
- No. 70: Cal Poly
- No. 71: University of San Diego
- No. 80: University of California, Santa Cruz
- No. 90: Santa Clara University
- No. 94: San Diego State University
- No. 97: University of California, Riverside
- No. 104: California State Polytechnic University
- No. 127: Pepperdine University
- No. 132: San José State
- No. 137: California State University, Long Beach
- No. 140: San Francisco State University
- No. 142: Loyola Marymount University
- No. 153: California State University, Fresno
- No. 161: Pitzer College
- No. 171: California State University, Sacramento
- No. 179: Occidental College
- No. 192: Scripps College
- No. 198: University of San Francisco
- No. 205: California State University, Fullerton
- No. 209: Saint Mary’s College of California
- No. 211: University of California, Merced
- No. 213: University of the Pacific
- No. 215: California State University, Los Angeles
- No. 251: California State University, Chico
- No. 265: California State University, Northridge
- No. 273: California State University, East Bay
- No. 275: University of Redlands
- No. 286: California State University, Stanislaus
- No. 315: Sonoma State University
- No. 317: California State University, San Bernardino
- No. 323: California State University, Bakersfield
- No. 336: California Lutheran University
- No. 343: Chapman University
- No. 347: Westmont College
- No. 360: Soka University of America
- No. 404: California State University San Marcos
- No. 408: Azusa Pacific University
- No. 414: California State University, Monterey Bay
- No. 417: The ArtCenter College of Design
- No. 428: California State University, Channel Islands
- No. 468: California State University, Dominguez Hills
- No. 470: Menlo College
- No. 471: Dominican University of California
- No. 496: Biola University
- No. 499: La Sierra University
Top 10 colleges in America, according to Forbes
Here are the top 10 colleges in the nation, according to Forbes' rankings:
- No. 1: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts
- No. 2: Princeton University, New Jersey
- No. 3: Harvard University, Massachusetts
- No. 4: Columbia University, New York
- No. 5: University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania
- No. 6: Stanford University, California
- No. 7: California Institute of Technology, California
- No. 8: Yale University, Connecticut
- No. 9: University of California, Berkeley, California
- No. 10: Vanderbilt University, Tennessee
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 3 California schools crack Forbes' top 10 colleges list. What to know
