California is a state well-known for its thriving economy, offering a wide range of opportunities for aspiring business entrepreneurs. The state not only features headquarters of various tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Tesla, but it also has some of the top business schools. It offers a wide range of programs, distinguished faculty, and strong connections to industry leaders. If you are someone who wants to know which business school to join in California, this article is for you. It brings you a detailed list of the best business schools in California, along with their rankings, acceptance rates, and tuition fees.
Stanford University
- Ownership: Private
- Enrollment (All Programs): 873
- Programs Offered: Full-time MBA, Specialty Master’s
- Entry Examination: SAT or ACT
- Avg Cost After Aid: $7,200
- Ranking: 1st in Business Schools
Stanford University, located in California is considered one of the top business schools not only in the state but the entire country. The university offers various courses for business students, including MBA/PGDM, MS, and BA. The graduation rate at Stanford University is 94%, and the acceptance rate is 4%. The median base salary offered to the graduates of Stanford University is USD 185,000, the median performance bonus of USD 50,000, and the median signing bonus of USD 30,000. The top recruiters at Stanford University are Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, McKinsey, HSBC, and American Express.
University of California, Berkeley (Haas)
- Ownership: Public
- Enrollment (All Programs): 1650
- Programs Offered: Full-time MBA, Part-time MBA, Executive MBA, Specialty Master’s
- Entry Examination: GMAT or GRE
- Avg Cost After Aid: $73,160
- Ranking: 7th in Business Schools
UC Berkeley falls to 7th in the list of the top business schools in America. The university offers its students more than 350 degree courses in various disciplines, including Business, Management, and Marketing. The graduation rate at UC, Berkeley, is 93%, and the acceptance rate is 13.2%. The median base salary for MBA students at UC, Berkeley, is $155,000, the mean base salary is $159,412, and the median signing bonus is $20,000. Top recruiters at UC, Berkeley, include Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Deloitte, and more.
University of Southern California (Marshall)
- Ownership: Private
- Enrollment (All Programs): 956
- Programs Offered: Full-time MBA, Part-time MBA, Executive MBA, Specialty Masters, Online Programs
- Entry Examination: GMAT or GRE
- Avg Cost After Aid: $42,655
- Ranking: 18th in Business Schools
Located in Los Angeles, California, the University of Southern California (Marshall) is considered one of the top-tier research universities in the country. USC University is well-known for offering more than 350 courses for its students in disciplines that include Business Economics, Finance, Sales & Marketing, etc. The graduation rate at USC is 92%, and the acceptance rate is 23%. The median base salary for MBA students at USC is $125,000, the mean base salary is $144,442, and the mean signing bonus is $32,524. Top recruiters at USC include Accenture, Amazon, Disney, Deloitte, Google, JP Morgan, and more.
University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson)
- Ownership: Public
- Enrollment (All Programs): 1,579
- Programs Offered: Full-time MBA, Part-time MBA, Executive MBA, Specialty Master’s
- Avg Cost After Aid: $74,618
- Ranking: 20th in Business Schools
University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson), commonly known as UCLA, has been considered one of the top 20 universities in the country for over a decade. It offers over 8 MBA/PGDM courses along with a total of 74 BA courses for business students. The graduation rate at UCLA is 94%, and the acceptance rate is 40%. The median base salary for MBA students at UCLA is $142,800, the mean base salary is $146,526, and the mean signing bonus is $33,698. Top recruiters include Bain, BCG, McKinsey, Morgan Stanley, and more.
University of California–Irvine (Merage)
- Ownership: Public
- Enrollment (All Programs): 476
- Programs Offered: Full-time MBA, Part-time MBA, Executive MBA, Specialty Master’s.
- Entry Examination: GMAT or GRE
- Avg Cost After Aid: $14,337 (California residents), $58,141 (Others)
- Ranking: 44th in Business Schools
University of California–Irvine (Merage), commonly known as UCI, is also considered one of the top business schools in the state. It offers over 6 MBA/PGDM courses along with a total of 34 BA courses and 37 MS courses for business students. The graduation rate at UCI is 84%, and the acceptance rate is 24%. The median base salary for MBA students at UCI is $127,500, the mean base salary is $122,201, and the mean signing bonus is $25,846. Top recruiters include Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Deloitte, Apple, JP Morgan Chase & Co., and others.
University of California–Davis
- Ownership: Public
- Enrollment (All Programs): 255
- Programs Offered: Full-time MBA, Part-time MBA, Specialty Masters, and Online Programs.
- Avg Cost After Aid: $16,640 (California residents), $53,142 (Others)
- Ranking: 57th in Business Schools
University of California–Davis was established in 1905 as a land-grant research university. It offers over 6 MBA/PGDM courses along with a total of 44 BA courses and 48 MS courses for business students. The graduation rate at UC Davis is 86.7%, and the acceptance rate is 42.1%. The median base salary for MBA students at UC Davis 6 years after graduation is $58,461, the mean base salary is $123,419, and the mean signing bonus is $19,000. Top recruiters include EY, Microsoft, Dolby, Amazon, and more.
