Nearly three in four California students enroll in college right after high school.

The most recent data show that 72% of the 442,000 students who graduated from high school in 2023 enrolled in college within the next 12 months.
Across racial and ethnic groups, the share going to college is highest among Asian Americans (95%). About 77% of white students enroll, and college-going rates for both Black and Latino students are 65%.
Female students (77%) are much more likely to go to college than male students (66%). Enrollment rates are below average for low-income (64%) and English Learner students (48%).
Over 80% of graduates from Orange County and the Bay Area enroll in college, compared to about 62% of students from the Inland Empire and San Joaquin Valley. Rates are near the state average in Los Angeles (71%) and San Diego (73%).

Whether and where graduates go to college varies across demographic groups

Share of high school graduates enrolled

SOURCES: California Department of Education, College-Going Rate (CGR) data; National Student Clearinghouse (NSC).

NOTES: Figure shows the college-going rates for students who graduated from high school in the spring of the 2022–23 school year and enrolled in college in 2023–24. All rates are given as a share of high school completers—students who graduate from a California public high school with regular diplomas—as well as non-graduate completers with GEDs and similar certificates (but not those with special education certificates of completion). In some cases, student information is unavailable due to privacy rights. Enrollment rates are adjusted, reflecting imputed rates based on block rates published by NSC.

California’s community colleges are a key entry point to higher education.

High school graduates are more likely to enroll at the California Community Colleges (CCC) than the four-year public systems: 39% enroll in a CCC, while 13% go to California State University (CSU) and 9% go to the University of California (UC). The share of Asian students attending UC (28%) is more than three times the statewide average.
CCC enrollment rates have risen 3.4 percentage points in the past two years. Enrollment rates at the four-year universities have been relatively stable, increasing by 1.2 percentage points at CSU and 0.6% at UC.
Just over 3% of California high school graduates enroll at private colleges and universities in the state, while about 7% attend postsecondary institutions elsewhere in the US. Latino students (3%) are much less likely to go to colleges in other states than white, Asian, and Black students (15%, 11%, and 9%, respectively).

Hundreds of thousands of students apply to UC and CSU each year.

UC received 205,000 freshman applications for fall 2025, while CSU received 213,000. Applications grew nearly every year from the early 2000s to until 2020, at the onset of COVID. The numbers have mostly recovered from their pandemic-era dip.
Systemwide, 46% of UC applications were accepted in 2025. Admission rates varied widely across campuses—from 10% at UCLA and 11% at UC Berkeley to over 94% at UC Merced.
CSU’s overall acceptance rate was 82%, with variation across CSU campuses. Admission rates were lowest at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (30%), San Diego State University (37%), and CSU Long Beach (45%), while rates ranged from 74% to 97% at the other schools.

Community college transfers make up significant shares of UC and CSU enrollment.

A majority of new enrollees at UC (52%) and half at CSU (49%) recently graduated from California public high schools. Students from the state’s private high schools made up 5% of new enrollment at UC and 3% at CSU.
Transfers from community colleges to four-year universities play a key role in California. In fall 2025, students transferring from community colleges made up 26% of new enrollees at UC and 41% at CSU.
Students from other US states made up 8% of new enrollment at UC and 4% at CSU in 2024. International students are more likely to go to UC than CSU: in 2024, 6% of new UC students came from other countries, compared to under 1% at CSU.

Most new students at UC and CSU are recent graduates from California public high schools

Share of new fall enrollment

SOURCES: University of California, Undergraduate Admissions Summary, Fall 2025. California State University, CSU Enrollment Summary, Fall 2025.

The state and its higher education institutions are working to expand college access.

While CCC enrollment has been stagnating, and there are concerns about California’s shrinking population and declining enrollment in both K–12 schools and postsecondary institutions, recent projections anticipate rising enrollment at UC and CSU largely due to increases in college readiness rates.
The governor set an ambitious goal that 70% of California adults should hold a postsecondary degree or credential by 2030. However, recent counts estimate the current rate at just 55%. State efforts to broaden access include expanding dual enrollment programs and universal FAFSA.
To ease the transition from high school to college, CSU’s direct admissions program was recently expanded. Starting in fall 2027, eligible students statewide will receive offers of admission before they go through the application process. UC and CSU both have dual admissions programs that streamline transfers from the CCC in a similar way.