2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Chemistry Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 24 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for chemistry students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Chemistry Schools
Our analysis found California State University - Channel Islands to be the best value school for chemistry students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the suburb of Camarillo, CSUCI is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUCI are $6,817 a year. On average, chemistry graduates from CSUCI take out $20,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Chemistry at California State University - Channel Islands Report
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means California State University - Sacramento is a great value for chemistry students. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Sac State are $7,392 a year. On average, chemistry graduates from Sac State take out $24,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 per year. The average amount in student loans that chemistry majors at Cal Poly Pomona take out is $21,000.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools in California list. SDSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Diego.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SDSU are $8,136 a year. While working on their degree, chemistry majors at SDSU accumulate an average of around $20,998 in student debt.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Chemistry Schools in California list. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $6,846 per year.
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California State University - Fullerton ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 a year. Chemistry majors at Cal State Fullerton take out an average of $18,535 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #7, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on this year’s best value schools for chemistry students. CSUSB is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Bernardino.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUSB are $7,213 a year. On average, chemistry graduates from CSUSB take out $17,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of California - Berkeley came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.
UC Berkeley undergraduate students pay an average of $14,226 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Chemistry majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $12,138 in student loans while working on their egree.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UC Berkeley is ranked #3 for overall quality for chemistry in California.
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California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for chemistry students. It came in at #9 on the list. Cal State LA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State LA are $6,785 per year.
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California State University - Stanislaus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Stan State are $7,644 per year. After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from Stan State carry an average student debtload of $20,449.
Full Chemistry at California State University - Stanislaus Report
Request InformationBest Value Chemistry Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value 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
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.
- 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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