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Best General Psychology Schools in California

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2023 Best General Psychology Schools in California

81 Colleges
$32,807 Avg Salary
$22,757 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best General Psychology School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, general psychology was ranked 3rd in California. In fact, 29,966 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best General Psychology Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 81 schools in California to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best General Psychology Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for psychology majors pursuing a .

Top 15% Best General Psychology Schools

#1

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA

Our analysis found Santa Clara University to be the best school for general psychology students who want to pursue a degree in California. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Santa Clara.

Psychology majors at SCU take out an average of $20,000 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 $657.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Southern California is a great place for general psychology students. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

After completing their degree, psychology graduates from USC carry an average student debtload of $14,892. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $376.

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#3

Palo Alto University

Palo Alto, CA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Palo Alto University is a great place for general psychology students. Located in the rural area of Palo Alto, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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Out of the 81 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Dominican University of California landed the # 4 spot on the list. DUofC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Rafael.

While working on their degree, psychology majors at DUofC accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

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#5

Brandman University

Irvine, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brandman University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best General Psychology Schools in California list. Located in the city of Irvine, Brandman is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Brandman take out is $24,999.

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#6

Touro University Worldwide

Los Alamitos, CA

With a ranking of #6, Touro University Worldwide did quite well on this year’s best schools for general psychology students. Located in the large suburb of Los Alamitos, TUW is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, psychology graduates from TUW carry an average student debtload of $21,708.

Full General Psychology at Touro University Worldwide Report

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general psychology students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, psychology majors at The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus accumulate an average of around $37,009 in student debt.

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#8

Westmont College

Santa Barbara, CA

With a ranking of #8, Westmont College did quite well on this year’s best schools for general psychology students. Westmont is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.

Psychology majors at Westmont take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on General Psychology at Westmont College

With a ranking of #9, Claremont Graduate University did quite well on this year’s best schools for general psychology students. Claremont Graduate University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Claremont.

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University of California - Los Angeles came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best General Psychology Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at UCLA take out is $14,826. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $251.

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#11

University of San Diego

San Diego, CA

University of San Diego did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general psychology students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of San Diego, USD is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, psychology graduates from USD take out $23,609 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $842.

Full General Psychology at University of San Diego Report

With a ranking of #12, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on this year’s best schools for general psychology students. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Psychology majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out an average of $18,334 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $366.

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

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for General Psychology students in the state of California that almost earned our Best General Psychology Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
13 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
14 Loma Linda University Loma Linda, CA
15 The University of Arizona Global Campus San Diego, CA
16 San Jose State University San Jose, CA

Best General Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best General Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 1,737
Oregon 1,632
Nevada 908
Hawaii 389
Alaska 109

One of 3 majors within the area of study, general psychology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Psychology

Related Major Annual Graduates
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 33,758
Child Development & Psychology 17,542
Other Psychology 2,683

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to BruceBlaus.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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