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Most Popular Chemistry Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Chemistry Schools in California

137 Colleges
$46,709 Avg Salary
$17,837 Avg Student Debt

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.

The Most Popular Chemistry Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 137 schools in California to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Chemistry program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for chemistry majors pursuing a .

Our 2023 rankings named University of California - San Diego the most popular school in California for chemistry students. UCSD is a fairly large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.

Chemistry majors at UCSD take out an average of $15,833 in student loans while working on their egree. 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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The excellent programs at University of California - Irvine helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best chemistry schools in California. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, chemistry graduates from UC Irvine take out $15,000 in student loans while working on their degree. 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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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Chemistry Schools in California list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from UC Berkeley carry an average student debt load of $12,138.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of California - Berkeley

The excellent programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best chemistry schools in California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, chemistry majors at UCLA accumulate an average of around $14,452 in student debt.

Full Chemistry at University of California - Los Angeles Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Chemistry Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that chemistry majors at UCSB take out is $19,530. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $343.

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University of California - Davis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular 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.

While working on their degree, chemistry majors at UC Davis accumulate an average of around $13,992 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $272, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Chemistry at University of California - Davis Report

#7

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego State University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Chemistry Schools in California list. SDSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Diego.

On average, chemistry graduates from SDSU take out $20,998 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Chemistry at San Diego State University

University of California - Riverside came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Chemistry Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Chemistry majors at UCR take out an average of $19,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Chemistry at University of California - Riverside Report

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for chemistry students. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Santa Cruz.

After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from UC Santa Cruz carry an average student debt load of $21,000.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of California - Santa Cruz

#10

Orange Coast College

Costa Mesa, CA

Orange Coast College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for chemistry students. It came in at #10 on the list. Orange Coast College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Costa Mesa.

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With a ranking of #11, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for chemistry students. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.

While working on their degree, chemistry majors at Cal Poly Pomona accumulate an average of around $21,000 in student debt.

Full Chemistry at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report

#12

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA

With a ranking of #12, San Jose State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for chemistry students. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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#13

Irvine Valley College

Irvine, CA

Irvine Valley College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for chemistry students. It came in at #13 on the list. Irvine Valley College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Irvine.

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#14

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Stanford University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Chemistry Schools in California ranking. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.

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California State University - Long Beach landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular chemistry programs. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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University of California - Merced did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for chemistry students. It came in at #16 on the list. UC Merced is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Merced.

The average amount in student loans that chemistry majors at UC Merced take out is $15,000.

Full Chemistry at University of California - Merced Report

#17

Fullerton College

Fullerton, CA

With a ranking of #17, Fullerton College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for chemistry students. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Fullerton College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Chemistry at Fullerton College

University of Southern California ranked #18 on this year’s Most Popular Chemistry Schools in California list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

While working on their degree, chemistry majors at USC accumulate an average of around $3,250 in student debt.

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California State University - San Bernardino came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Chemistry Schools in California ranking. CSUSB is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Bernardino.

The average amount in student loans that chemistry majors at CSUSB take out is $17,000.

Read full report on Chemistry at California State University - San Bernardino

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for chemistry students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Chemistry majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out an average of $21,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Chemistry at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Chemistry Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
21 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
22 Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA
23 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
24 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
24 Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill, CA
26 Golden West College Huntington Beach, CA
27 Evergreen Valley College San Jose, CA
27 Moorpark College Moorpark, CA

Best Chemistry Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Chemistry Schools 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

One of 8 majors within the area of study, chemistry has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 25 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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