Academic Index Last updated: June 23, 2026

8 Best Universities in California for Development Studies

We ranked the top 8 universities for Development Studies in California based on strict academic metrics. Our methodology evaluated 2.54M subject-specific papers and 132.84M citations to find the strongest faculties. This targeted approach bypasses general university reputation, directly revealing the strongest programs.

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1

Stanford

Stanford University

For Development Studies

#4 in United States #5 in North America

4% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1545 Avg SAT

1885 Founded

2

Berkeley

University of California – Berkeley

For Development Studies

#7 in United States #8 in North America

11% Acceptance

26,133 Enrollment

1175 Avg SAT

1868 Founded

3

Los Angeles

University of California – Los Angeles

For Development Studies

#11 in United States #12 in North America

9% Acceptance

37,297 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1919 Founded

4

San Francisco

University of California – San Francisco

For Development Studies

#16 in United States #17 in North America

13% Acceptance

2,942 Enrollment

1100 Avg SAT

1864 Founded

5

Los Angeles

University of Southern California

For Development Studies

#30 in United States #32 in North America

10% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1880 Founded

6

San Diego

University of California-San Diego

For Development Studies

#34 in United States #37 in North America

27% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1960 Founded

7

Davis

University of California – Davis

For Development Studies

#36 in United States #39 in North America

42% Acceptance

25,685 Enrollment

1545 Avg SAT

1905 Founded

8

Irvine

University of California – Irvine

For Development Studies

#48 in United States #56 in North America

29% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1965 Founded