Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University wants its students to achieve clarity. The Jesuit Catholic school offers degrees in more than 40 disciplines. Its graduate programs include business; counseling, psychology, and education; engineering; law; and pastoral ministries. The university has nearly 5,200 undergraduate and more than 3,400 graduate students. Notable alumni include Oakland mayor and former governor of California Jerry Brown, soccer player Brandi Chastain, Cirrus Logic chairman Michael Hackworth, and winemaker Sam Sebastiani. Santa Clara University was founded in 1851, making it California's oldest higher-education institution.