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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California

136 Ranked Colleges
3,316 Degrees Awarded
$36,700 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 21,239 people earned their degree in chemistry, making the major the 51st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, chemistry graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $40,656 and had an average of $22,680 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 3,316 chemistry graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,709 and $17,837 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California” ranking, we looked at 136 colleges that offer a degree in chemistry. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their chemistry program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The chemistry school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california chemistry students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Chemistry in California

1

Out of the 136 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s chemistry degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full California Institute of Technology Chemistry Report

2
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pomona College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 18 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Chemistry at Pomona College

3
Westmont crest
Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California

Out of the 136 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Westmont College landed the #3 spot on the list. Westmont College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 14 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemistry at Westmont College

4

Out of the 136 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 412 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - San Diego Chemistry Report

5

Out of the 136 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Merced landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 53 degrees to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Merced Chemistry Report

6
Harvey Mudd College crest
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California

Harvey Mudd College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California ranking. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 4 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Chemistry at Harvey Mudd College

7
Whittier crest
Whittier College
Whittier, California

With a ranking of #7, Whittier College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California list. Whittier is a small school located in Whittier, California that handed out 9 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemistry at Whittier

8
University of Saint Katherine crest
University of Saint Katherine
San Marcos, California

With a ranking of #8, University of Saint Katherine did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California list. University of Saint Katherine is a small school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 1 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of Saint Katherine

9
PUC crest
Pacific Union College
Angwin, California

Pacific Union College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California ranking. Pacific Union College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Angwin, California. It awarded 5 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Chemistry at Pacific Union College

10
Oxy crest
Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #10, Occidental College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s chemistry degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemistry at Oxy

11
Orange Coast College crest
Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa, California

With a ranking of #11, Orange Coast College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California list. Costa Mesa, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chemistry degrees to 81 students in 2020-2021.

Full Orange Coast College Chemistry Report

12
DUofC crest
Dominican University of California
San Rafael, California

Dominican University of California landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California ranking. DUofC is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Rafael, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemistry at Dominican University of California

12

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California ranking. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 126 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Chemistry Report

14
San Diego Miramar College crest
San Diego Miramar College
San Diego, California

San Diego Miramar College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. San Diego Miramar College is a fairly large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 27 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Chemistry at San Diego Miramar College

15

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California list. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 93 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemistry at UC Santa Cruz

16
Scripps crest
Scripps College
Claremont, California

Scripps College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California ranking, coming in at #16. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s chemistry degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemistry at Scripps

17
Irvine Valley College crest
Irvine Valley College
Irvine, California

Irvine Valley College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California ranking, coming in at #17. This fairly large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 64 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Chemistry at Irvine Valley College

18

University of California - Irvine landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California ranking. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 175 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemistry at UC Irvine

19

With a ranking of #19, California State University - Channel Islands did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California list. California State University - Channel Islands is a medium-sized school located in Camarillo, California that handed out 31 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Channel Islands Chemistry Report

20

University of California - Riverside landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California ranking. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 98 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Riverside Chemistry Report

21
Evergreen Valley College crest
Evergreen Valley College
San Jose, California

Evergreen Valley College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California ranking. Evergreen Valley College is located in San Jose, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Chemistry at Evergreen Valley College

22
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California ranking, coming in at #22. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 58 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Chemistry at Stanford University

23
Solano College crest
Solano Community College
Fairfield, California

Solano Community College ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California list. Solano College is a medium-sized public school situated in Fairfield, California. It awarded 22 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Chemistry at Solano College

24
Cuyamaca College crest
Cuyamaca College
El Cajon, California

Cuyamaca College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California ranking. Cuyamaca College is a public institution located in El Cajon, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Chemistry at Cuyamaca College

25

University of California - Berkeley came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Chemistry Major in California ranking. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 170 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemistry at University of California - Berkeley

Notes and References

References

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