This California college beat Ivy Leagues to be named second best in the nation

The second-best college nationwide isn’t an Ivy League, and it’s right in California.

Forbes recently released its annual list of America’s top colleges , ranking 500 schools to highlight which “offer the best educational, financial and career outcomes for all students.”

Although Princeton University in New Jersey, an Ivy League, placed first in the ranking, the top 10 schools included two California universities and 17 California schools in the top 100.

With many college applications due late fall, students unsure about where to apply can see which colleges made the list to help guide their decisions.

What are the top colleges in California?

The following schools placed in the top 100 spots in Forbes’ top colleges in America:

• Stanford University, No. 2
• University of California, Berkeley, No. 5
• University of California, Los Angeles, No. 13
• Claremont McKenna College, No. 19
• University of California, San Diego, No. 21
• California Institute of Technology, No. 22
• University of Southern California, No. 28
• University of California, Santa Barbara, No. 35
• Pomona College, No. 37
• University of California, Irvine, No. 39
• University of California, Davis, No. 43
• California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, No. 57
• Santa Clara University, No. 61
• San Diego State University, No. 77
• California State University, Long Beach, No. 89
• University of California, Riverside, No. 97
• California State University, Fullerton, No. 100

Seven schools in the top 100 were part of the University of California system, which enrolled 295,573 students last fall — the largest class of students in UC’s history, according to a news release in January . Four state schools made the list as well. The CSU system enrolled 443,964 undergraduate and graduate students for the same period, according to CSU enrollment figures .

More: These are the best high schools in California. See if your student is attending this fall

How did Forbes determine the top colleges in America?

The media company said it chose to examine doctoral research universities, master’s universities and colleges and baccalaureate colleges in addition to colleges that offered specialized programs in engineering, business and art. Excluded from the list are schools that plan to close, federal military academies and schools with less than 300 undergraduate students.

Forbes ranked schools using seven different criteria: the salary of a school’s alumnus, the typical debt a student takes on at a school, the graduation rate, the return on investment, the retention rate, academic success and Forbes’ American Leaders List — which traces where people in leadership, Nobel Prize winners, major sports stars, award winners and more went to school.

Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: This California college beat Ivy Leagues to be named second best in the nation