California EducationCalifornia offers a unique three-tier system of public postsecondary education:The preeminent research university s ystem in the state is the University of California (UC) which employs more Nobel Prize laureates than any other institution in the world, and is considered one of the world's finest public university systems. There are ten general UC campuses, and a number of specialized campuses in the UC system. The California State University (CSU) system has over 400,000 students, making it the largest university system in the United States. It is intended to accept the top one-third (1/3) of high school students. The 23 CSU schools are primarily intended for undergraduate education. The California Community Colleges system provides lower division courses. It is composed of 109 colleges, serving a student population of over 2.9 million. California is also home to such notable private un iversities such as Stanford University, the University of Southern California (USC), and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). California has hundreds of other private colleges and u niversities, including many religious and special-purpose institutions.Public secondary education consists of high schools that teach elective courses in trades, languages, and liberal arts with tracks for gifted, college-bound and industrial arts students. Californi a's public educational system is supported by a unique constitutional amendment that requires 40 percent of state revenues to be spent on education.
