Academic Index Last updated: June 23, 2026

21 Best Universities in California for Music

If you are looking to study Music in California, our index highlights the top 21 domain-leading institutions. Based on 3.17M scholarly articles and 161.13M peer-reviewed citations, we reveal the best research labs driving innovation in Music. This targeted approach bypasses general university reputation, directly revealing the strongest programs.

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1

San Diego

University of California-San Diego

#20 in United States #21 in North America

27% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1960 Founded

2

Stanford

Stanford University

#2 in United States #2 in North America

4% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1545 Avg SAT

1885 Founded

3

Berkeley

University of California – Berkeley

#5 in United States #5 in North America

11% Acceptance

26,133 Enrollment

1175 Avg SAT

1868 Founded

4

Los Angeles

University of California – Los Angeles

#11 in United States #11 in North America

9% Acceptance

37,297 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1919 Founded

5

Los Angeles

University of Southern California

#22 in United States #23 in North America

10% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1880 Founded

6

Riverside

University of California – Riverside

#89 in United States #101 in North America

76% Acceptance

25,685 Enrollment

1175 Avg SAT

1954 Founded

7

San Francisco

University of California – San Francisco

#32 in United States #35 in North America

13% Acceptance

2,942 Enrollment

1100 Avg SAT

1864 Founded

8

Santa Cruz

University of California – Santa Cruz

#84 in United States #96 in North America

66% Acceptance

45,882 Enrollment

1535 Avg SAT

1965 Founded

9

Irvine

University of California – Irvine

#43 in United States #46 in North America

29% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1965 Founded

10

Pasadena, CA

California Institute of Technology

#46 in United States #50 in North America

3% Acceptance

26,133 Enrollment

1535 Avg SAT

1891 Founded

11

Santa Barbara

University of California – Santa Barbara

#55 in United States #59 in North America

33% Acceptance

45,882 Enrollment

1535 Avg SAT

1921 Founded

12

Davis

University of California – Davis

#28 in United States #30 in North America

42% Acceptance

25,685 Enrollment

1545 Avg SAT

1905 Founded

13

San Diego

San Diego State University

#124 in United States #143 in North America

36% Acceptance

42,003 Enrollment

1125 Avg SAT

1897 Founded

14

Stockton

University of the Pacific

#312 in United States #346 in North America

71% Acceptance

15,924 Enrollment

1332 Avg SAT

1851 Founded

15

Sacramento

California State University – Sacramento

#282 in United States #313 in North America

94% Acceptance

12,326 Enrollment

1290 Avg SAT

1947 Founded

16

Orange, CA

Chapman University

#251 in United States #282 in North America

65% Acceptance

42,003 Enrollment

1350 Avg SAT

1861 Founded

17

Fullerton

California State University – Fullerton

#216 in United States #244 in North America

91% Acceptance

42,003 Enrollment

1350 Avg SAT

1957 Founded

18

Long Beach, CA

California State University – Long Beach

#211 in United States #238 in North America

46% Acceptance

38,313 Enrollment

1350 Avg SAT

1949 Founded

19

Los Angeles

California State University – Northridge

#206 in United States #233 in North America

93% Acceptance

23,163 Enrollment

1525 Avg SAT

1958 Founded

20

San Francisco

San Francisco State University

#184 in United States #208 in North America

96% Acceptance

5,891 Enrollment

1290 Avg SAT

1899 Founded

21

San Jose, CA

San Jose State University

#168 in United States #192 in North America

85% Acceptance

22,563 Enrollment

1420 Avg SAT

1857 Founded