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College programs by state

College soccer in California

125 college soccer programs play in California: 65 women’s and 60 men’s — 48 in D1, 39 in D2, 20 in D3 and 18 in the NAIA. Each is listed below with its conference and the size of its 2026-27 roster.

Programs
125
Median roster
28
Players listed
3,439

Rosters: the 119 confirmed squads for this season, read from each school’s own site between Aug 31, 2026 and Sep 11, 2026.

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NCAA Division I

48 programs · 26 women’s · 22 men’s

Players: the 2026-27 roster as the school publishes it, where we could confirm it is this season’s. → a Startline page with the class-year breakdown · ↗ the school’s own site: its roster page, or its team or athletics page where the roster link did not check out.

D1 women's soccer in California →D1 men's soccer in California →Every D1 program in the country →

NCAA Division II

39 programs · 21 women’s · 18 men’s

D2 women's soccer in California →D2 men's soccer in California →Every D2 program in the country →

NCAA Division III

20 programs · 10 women’s · 10 men’s

D3 women's soccer in California →D3 men's soccer in California →Every D3 program in the country →

NAIA

18 programs · 8 women’s · 10 men’s

NAIA women's soccer in California →NAIA men's soccer in California →Every NAIA program in the country →

Players from California

Where California players go

4,322 players from California are on a published college soccer roster, and 53% of them play for a school inside California.

Out of state, the most common destinations are Oregon, New York and Texas.

For scale: 104,802 students played high-school soccer in California in 2024-25.

Counted off the hometowns listed on college rosters (read Sep 11, 2026; the 2026-27 squad for most programs, last season’s where a school had not posted a new one). A headcount of who is playing, not a rate — no one publishes how many of a state’s high-school players go on. High-school figure: NFHS participation survey, 2024-25. NFHS survey (PDF).

Quick answers

Counted, with the date on it

How many college soccer programs are in California?

125 programs — 65 women’s and 60 men’s, NCAA and NAIA: 48 in D1, 39 in D2, 20 in D3 and 18 in the NAIA.

Do soccer players from California stay in state for college?

53% of the 4,322 players from California on a published college roster play for a school inside California; the most common destinations outside it are Oregon, New York and Texas. Counted off roster hometowns, read Sep 11, 2026.

How big are college soccer rosters in California?

The median is 28 players, across the 119 rosters we have read and could confirm are 2026-27 squads. The smallest is La Sierra University’s, at 18; the largest is Menlo College’s, at 43. Roster size is not the number of spots a program recruits each year; how many graduate at each position is what decides that.

Your player, these programs

Which of them fit your player?

A list of the programs in California is the same for every family. Which of them fit your player — level, position, grad year and grades — and which have room at your position is what the free list scores.

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