Surf culture was popularized in Southern CA, with some help from a group called The Beach Boys. Huntington Beach is aptly named Surf City USA. Some of the world’s best surfing is here in CA. Mavericks, a world-renowned surf competition held in Half Moon Bay. And still today, thousands surf everyday, and those who don’t want to brave the cold water, can wear this new fangled piece of clothing called a wetsuit. 
@sushiritto Guess your not from Hawaii…the natives might have something to say about surfing, surf culture, and who invented it.
Pretty much a typical Californian response.………invented it, best at it, no one does it better.
First, did you read the OP? Hawaii is excluded.
Second, did I say surfing was “invented” in CA? Nope! Popularized, yep, that I said. Popularized through song and movies.
If you look at most lists of top surf spots in the US and/or the world, Huntington Beach, San Diego, Malibu, Half Moon Bay, etc. are usually mentioned. And Hawaii too. I’m not from Hawaii, but I visit often, and have visited many of the best surf spots there.
How many East Coast beaches are considered a top surfing spot? Maybe one, Cape Hatteras, in North Carolina.
Yep, pretty much. Hang ten, dude! :-c
Well, there are two things the OP didn’t define in his OP - what he means by prestigious and what he means by surfing.
Rice is prestigious, is located in a nice neighborhood of a major city (Houston), and is less than an hour from the Gulf beaches of Galveston.
I second UCI as a possible choice, though it is situated in the endless suburban sprawl of Orange County rather than in a “big city” proper. On the other hand, it is near the water, and the surfing in SoCal will be superior to that available on the Texas Gulf Coast.
Because we Californians are obviously the most educated people around!
“Guess your not from Hawaii…the natives might have something to say about surfing, surf culture, and who invented it.”
lol, the OP said outside of Hawaii, so if HI is your comparison, only southern CA beaches compare, as others have posted, San Diego colleges are your best bet.
NYC has surfing – https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/nyregion/when-surfing-rockaway-its-watch-out-or-wipeout.html
You can get out to Rockaway beach on the subway – which means you can go to school anywhere in NYC and still surf.
Can you imagine, switching subway trains, going through turnstyles, while carrying your surfboard? :-t
If we are talking about kite and wind surfing, Northwestern! The school has it’s own beaches and you can rent wind surfers right on campus. That said, it gets a wee bit chilly in the winter!
Lake Michigan is freezing in summer, too! 
I grew up in Chicagoland. I think I dipped my toe in the water one mid-August and didn’t have the courage to go in further.
Ha! I’ve been to the beach a bunch of times @hapworth but I grew up in NY and the water is cold there too. The Evanston beach report this morning said the water was 72 degrees. Refreshing!
It’s hard to make recommendations regarding schools and prestige with no info on stats , budget or major.
@sushiritto my neighbor used to surf and carried his short board out on the train regularly. The A train goes straight out to the beach without the need to transfer. I’m not sure how he worked his long board – maybe the first or last car on the train.