2023 Best Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Psychology Bachelor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, psychology students earned 40,562 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 5th in the state.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 74 schools in California to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Psychology Bachelor's Degree Colleges.
Top 15% Best Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for psychology students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in California. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Clara University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Full Psychology at Santa Clara University Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Southern California is a great place for psychology students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Palo Alto University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Palo Alto.
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The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
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Dominican University of California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for psychology students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of San Rafael, DUofC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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With a ranking of #8, National University did quite well on this year’s best schools for psychology students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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Brandman University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for psychology students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Brandman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Irvine.
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Touro University Worldwide landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree psychology programs. TUW is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Los Alamitos.
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Westmont College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, Westmont is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | University of San Diego | San Diego, CA |
| 13 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, CA |
| 14 | California State University - East Bay | Hayward, CA |
Best Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Psychology Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 2,848 |
| Oregon | 2,071 |
| Hawaii | 511 |
| Nevada | 996 |
| Alaska | 133 |
More Psychology Rankings in California
Psychology Related Rankings by Major
Psychology Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Psychology | 141,695 |
| Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 33,758 |
| Child Development & Psychology | 17,542 |
| Other Psychology | 2,683 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 327,871 |
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
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 Nevit Dilmen.
More about our data sources and methodologies.