2026 Best Medical Scientist Schools in California
Medical Scientist is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for medical scientist students pursuing a degree.
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Best Schools for Medical Scientist in California
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall medical scientist education in California.
Top Schools in Medical Scientist
Leading the list is University Of California Irvine, our #1 school for medical scientist. University Of California Irvine is a very large public school located in the city of Irvine. About 87% of students finish within six years. University Of California Irvine awarded about 10 medical scientist degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, medical scientist degree recipients from University Of California Irvine generally make around $50,958. University Of California Irvine graduates carry a median of $16,539 in student loans.
Get the full medical scientist details for University Of California Irvine
Students looking for a strong medical scientist program will find one at University Of California San Francisco, which ranked #2. Set in the city of San Francisco, University Of California San Francisco is a mid-sized public institution. University Of California San Francisco awarded about 31 medical scientist degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their medical scientist degree from University Of California San Francisco earn around $219,237 in the first couple years of their career.
Get the full medical scientist details for University Of California San Francisco
University Of California San Diego came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best medical scientist schools. This very large public university is located in the city of La Jolla. The six-year graduation rate is 86%. There were roughly 19 medical scientist students who graduated with this degree at University Of California San Diego in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, medical scientist degree recipients from University Of California San Diego generally make around $121,264. University Of California San Diego graduates carry a median of $17,101 in student loans.
See the full medical scientist program report for University Of California San Diego
More Medical Scientist Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 7 schools evaluated.
- 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 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.
