2023 Best Chemistry Schools in California
Finding the Best Chemistry School for You
Chemistry is the #39 most popular major in California with 3,247 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Chemistry Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 24 schools in California to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Chemistry Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for chemistry majors pursuing a .
Top 10 Best Chemistry Schools
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for chemistry students who want to pursue a degree in California. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for chemistry students. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Chemistry majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $12,138 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - Santa Barbara is a great place for chemistry students. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from UCSB carry an average student debtload of $19,530. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $343.
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Out of the 24 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the # 4 spot on the list. UCSD is a very large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.
On average, chemistry graduates from UCSD take out $15,833 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $167.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Channel Islands. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Chemistry Schools in California list. Located in the midsize suburb of Camarillo, CSUCI is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
On average, chemistry graduates from CSUCI take out $20,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of California - Davis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for chemistry students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from UC Davis carry an average student debtload of $13,992. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $272, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #7, San Diego State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for chemistry students. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Diego.
While working on their degree, chemistry majors at SDSU accumulate an average of around $20,998 in student debt.
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University of California - Irvine landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best chemistry programs. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from UC Irvine carry an average student debtload of $15,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $201, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for chemistry students. It came in at #9 on the list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Santa Cruz.
Chemistry majors at UC Santa Cruz take out an average of $21,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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California State University - Sacramento came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Chemistry Schools in California ranking. Sac State is a very large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
On average, chemistry graduates from Sac State take out $24,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
Request InformationBest Chemistry Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Chemistry Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 352 |
| Oregon | 274 |
| Nevada | 70 |
| Hawaii | 26 |
| Alaska | 14 |
More Chemistry Rankings in California
Rankings in Majors Related to Chemistry
One of 8 majors within the area of study, chemistry has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Physics | 13,674 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 7,821 |
| General Physical Sciences | 3,823 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 1,375 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 1,140 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 24 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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