Top 25 Best Party Schools in California (2024)

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If you’re looking for a school on the west coast that knows how to party, there’s really no shortage of places to go. California is home to some of the best party colleges and universities in America. Whether you’re looking for a big school with a lot of activities and nightlife or a smaller school with a more intimate atmosphere, there’s something for everyone here. As a (somewhat) recent graduate from UC Santa Barbara, I’ve visited friends across the state and have compiled this list of TOP party schools in California!

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The #1 party school in California is UC Santa Barbara
🏨 Where to stay when visiting – Hilton Garden Inn Santa Barbara / Goleta

Are There a Lot of Party Schools in California?

First of all, the idea of a “party school” is kind of funny in my opinion. Truly any college can be considered a party school if you want it to be. By nature of grouping a bunch of 18 to early 20-year-olds together, there is bound to be some partying, no matter where you go.

Not only that, but California has beautiful weather year-round, incredible beaches, and fun cities up and down the state. So, YES, there are a lot of party schools in California. Some will have more to offer and easier opportunities to party than others, but really if you want to be social you can find it in any school.

Alternatively, even if you go to a “party school,” it doesn’t mean that you HAVE to party. There are plenty of people who attend party schools that have groups of friends that don’t party or drink at all.

>>> Related Post: Top 25 California Stereotypes: True or False?

What Is the #1 Party School in California?

The University of California Santa Barbara is the #1 party school in California, hands down. It’s located right on the beach and the students all live within a square mile of each other. There is always a party happening somewhere every day of the week and almost at all hours of the day.

Which UC School Is a Party School?

The University of California school system contains the top public universities in the state (and in the country) but it also has some of the best party schools in California too. UC Santa Barbara, UCLA, and UC Davis are the top UC party schools.

The Worst Party Colleges in California

Private religious-backed schools are the worst party schools in California. They are often the most restrictive with activities and strict on their on and off-campus rules.

However, you can still find parties even at those schools. I visited a friend at California Lutheran University and their sports teams threw most of the off-campus parties, they just were usually smaller and not as rowdy.

There are an incredible amount of higher education schools in California from the public school systems (University of California and California State University) to community colleges and many private schools. In general, the public schools will be a bit more party-oriented, though there are quite a number of private schools that make this list.

The Best Party Schools in California

1. University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB)

🏨 Where to stay when visiting – Hilton Garden Inn Santa Barbara / Goleta
OR check out my post on the best cheap hotels in Goleta

Don’t believe any list you see that doesn’t have UCSB listed as the #1 party school in California! Admittedly, I am a little biased because this is my alma mater. And while there are definitely some great party schools on this list, there is just no beating Santa Barbara.

For one, you live directly on the beach! The town of Isla Vista (IV) right off campus is made up of 90% college kids between the university and the community college downtown. The best parties happen along Del Playa Dr. (DP) which runs along the cliffs above the beach. This means most of your parties happen with an incredible ocean view!

When you stack thousands of college kids into one area along the beach, there is bound to be a lot of partying happening. Without fail you will find dozens of house parties around IV every weekend from raging house parties to kickbacks with your friends.

If you’re in Greek life, there’s a different party happening every night of the week somewhere. Though the great thing about USCB is that it’s plenty social and you don’t NEED to be in Greek life to be able to party.

Once when I was at a frat party at UCSB I had a friend tell me “I joined a sorority to make friends, but you know more people than I do!” Granted, it’s easier as a girl to get into parties, but the point remains that you don’t HAVE to join Greek life at UC Santa Barbara to party, and my college boyfriend can agree to that too.

When you live on campus, you’re more often going to frat parties or if you know upperclassmen, house parties (or are a girl and can just walk into any party you please).

Once you live off campus, throwing house parties (always pick a good theme!), kickbacks, playing beer die in your front yard at all hours of the day, and just generally partying your little heart out are all very common.

In Isla Vista, right off campus, there are a handful of breweries and bars. Something popular for big partiers to do is called “The Loop” where you start at one end of the restaurants in Isla Vista and make your way around to the other end, stopping for a pint of beer (or one full drink) at every place that sells alcohol along the way. It ends up being about 11 places, give or take, depending on what is in business that year.

There are plenty of fun clubs (check out Wildcat and EOS) and bars downtown too. Thursdays are college night and you can take a bus (essentially a party busy with how rowdy it gets) for a couple of bucks from IV to downtown SB and back.

During certain times of the year, there are even more parties than normal. The beginning of the year with returning to school means there are plenty of welcome-back events including epic concerts (Snoop Dogg played my freshmen year) and parties.

And the spring in particular has some of the best parties and pretty much constant daygers every weekend. Our biggest party of the year happens right after spring break. Called “Deltopia” it’s essentially an all-day party, mostly along DP but across all of IV too.

UC Santa Barbara hosts “Extravaganza”, where the school brings in artists to create a day-long concert. When I was there we had Odesza, Ray Sremmurd, School Boy Q, etc.

You really can find any type of party you want at UCSB, whether it’s raging house parties or going downtown to the bars and clubs with your friends (once you turn 21!).

I would also like to mention that UC Santa Barbara is one of the TOP public schools in the nation! Yes, we party hard there, but we also work extremely hard there too, and have many exceptionally smart and successful graduates. I think the two can co-exist, and it’s not fair to say that UCSB students are JUST partiers.

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2. Santa Barbara Community College (SBCC)

🏨 Where to stay when visiting – Harbor View Inn

This one is a bit of an honorable mention… SBCC is located in downtown Santa Barbara but many people live in IV. It’s great for those who want to save money or need a few extra years before they can transfer to UCSB, as it is an increasingly challenging school to apply to and be accepted to.

3. California State University Chico

🏨 Where to stay when visiting – Hotel Diamond

The Chico party scene is often compared to UCSB, but it’s a bit easier of a school to get into. There is definitely a Greek area around campus where a lot of parties happen. You’ll find more casual parties and people out on their front lawns and porches around Ivy or Chestnut streets and bigger, crazier parties happening around West Sacramento and Nord Ave.

There is a fun downtown scene as well. Plus, during certain times of the year (St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco De Mayo, Halloween, Labor Day, etc.) Chico can become a bit crazy with thousands of people partying everywhere.

4. San Diego State University (SDSU)

🏨 Where to stay when visiting – Holiday Inn San Diego – la Mesa

SDSU is definitely a great party school with tons of events happening year-round both at the school and around San Diego. The dorms on campus tend to be pretty fun with plenty of events and activities. Plus the campus is in a central location to get to downtown or other fun neighborhoods around the area.

There is a pretty big Greek life presence at SDSU. Greek life and sports teams tend to be where most of the partying happens.

5. California State University Long Beach (CSULB)

🏨 Where to stay when visiting – Ayres Hotel Seal Beach

Long Beach is a fun city in general with plenty of bars and clubs (2nd St., 4th St., downtown) and constant events happening. Their Greek life is fairly active and throws frequent parties, but they tend to be in smaller houses scattered around town instead of one condensed area.

From what I’ve heard from friends at Long Beach it’s very similar to UCSB with a lot of frequent beach parties (especially Horny Corner) and house parties.

6. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (SLO)

🏨 Where to stay when visiting – Granada Hotel & Bistro

Many people wonder if Cal Poly SLO is a party school? Yes, it has a pretty fun party scene! SLO is not very far from UCSB and we would go up there occasionally. There are definitely plenty of house parties that happen around town, but it seems that it’s mostly Greek life and sports teams that throw the biggest parties.

The downtown area has some bars and places to dance, but it’s certainly not a huge city. Cal Poly is also a wet campus, meaning alcohol can be served to those of age even on campus and at campus-sponsored activities.

One of the biggest parties that SLO throws is St. Fratty’s Day where drinking can start as early as 5 am before a ton of fun St. Patrick’s Day parties.

7. University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

🏨 Where to stay when visiting – Plaza La Reina

One of the top universities in California, UCLA is massive and has a range of activities, clubs, academic interests, and of course – parties. UCLA has a bit more of a structured Greek row-type area where the fraternities and sororities will throw parties. Plus, their football team does alright, which means tailgates can be pretty epic.

UCLA is also located in a fun part of Los Angeles with easy access to many of the best clubs and bars in West Hollywood and Santa Monica. The draw is that it’s a tough school to get into and pretty academically rigorous, so you want to be careful with how much partying you do when attending this university!

>>> Related Post: A Guide to Surfing in Los Angeles

8. University of Southern California (USC)

🏨 Where to stay when visiting – Downtown LA Proper Hotel

Football and sports events aren’t nearly as popular in California as with other schools across the country, but USC happens to be a private southern California school with a pretty good football team. If you’re looking for the football school party scene, this is one of the better schools to attend. Plus, there are some fun rivalries that happen with UCLA!

USC also has a Greek row that makes partying here pretty easy. However, my experience was that you had to pay to get in and have your ID checked, which was definitely different and more strict than other schools. A lot of people come from money at this private school, so expect the parties to be a bit more high-end and potentially pretentious.

9. University of California Davis

🏨 Where to stay when visiting – Aggie Inn, Ascend Hotel Collection

Davis is a quaint college town in northern California. The main party scene happens with (surprise!) Greek life and sports teams here, otherwise it can be a bit quiet. Picnic Day is their big party event of the year in the spring where there are a ton of day parties and pool parties.

The town itself has a few fun but small bars, so you would have to go all the way to Sacramento to get bigger dance bars and more of a city party scene.

10. Chapman University

🏨 Where to stay when visiting – Ayres Hotel Anaheim

One of the few private universities that make the list, Chapman is a small school but you can still find a fun party scene. Many of the house parties do end up broken up by midnight because so many of them are in residential areas, so a lot of the organizations bus people to parties off campus in venues instead.

There is also a fun strip of bars nearby that offer some dancing and a place for students to go.

More California Colleges With a Decent Party Scene

11. San Jose State University

While this tends to be a commuter school, San Jose itself has some fun bars and dance clubs where students can enjoy a nightlife and party scene.

12. University of California Berkley

Most partying happens at the frats and bars and during football season.

13. Loyola Marymount University

Parties are fun but smaller and you can always go to USC or UCLA.

14. Sonoma State University

Surprisingly, the snow club parties just as hard if not harder than the frats here.

15. University of San Francisco

SF is a fun city to live in, a bit more of a hippy vibe with plenty of fun house parties and bars to be found.

16. California State University Los Angeles

Tons of places to party around Los Angeles after you turn 21.

17. University of California Irvine

Parties tend to be more low-key, but the campus is in a great area of southern California with plenty to do within driving distance.

18. Occidental College

Not a huge party scene, but can be fun if you know where to go.

19. University of California Riverside

Riverside has a surprisingly fun bar/pub/nightclub scene downtown and numerous annual festivals.

20. California State University Fullerton

Mostly Greek life parties.

21. Stanford University

Mostly football games and tailgates.

22. Cal Poly Pomona

Dry campus, but parties to be found off campus.

24. University of California Santa Cruz

Best for stoners, with less of a wild party scene, and more kickbacks and chill vibes.

23. California State University Monterrey Bay

Beach parties!

25. University of California San Diego

Sometimes called UC Socially Dead… however, it’s in San Diego so you can still party plenty with other schools in the area and at the bars.

Wrapping Up: Top Party Schools in California

If you’re looking for a school that knows how to have a good time, California is the place to be. Whether you’re looking for your dream college to attend, or you’re planning a road trip through the top party schools on the west coast… The schools on this list are sure to provide you with plenty of excellent (and wild!) memories.

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