Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

General Chemistry

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Chemistry in California

30 Ranked Colleges
1,555 Degrees Awarded
$12,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor's in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 20,841 people earned their degree in general chemistry, making the major the 38th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 3,187 general chemistry graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,555 general chemistry graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking looked at 30 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general chemistry. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general chemistry programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general chemistry program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 “Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Chemistry in California

#16 in overall quality

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - San Marcos landed the #1 spot on the list. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large public school situated in San Marcos, California. It awarded 15 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSM also made our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.

Read full report on General Chemistry at California State University - San Marcos

#2

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #2 spot on the list. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 101 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students per year to attend San Diego State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

Read more about General Chemistry at SDSU

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Chemistry at UCLA

#4

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #4 spot on the list. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 92 bachelors’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Chemistry at University of California - Santa Barbara

#13 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 41 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State Fullerton General Chemistry Report

#12 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s chemistry degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona also took the #12 spot in our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Chemistry at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#17 in overall quality

California State University - Channel Islands came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. CSUCI is located in Camarillo, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 bachelors’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chemistry students list, CSUCI has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUCI is $13,558 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUCI General Chemistry Report

#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 40 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students per year to attend Sac State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Chemistry at California State University - Sacramento

#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s chemistry degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on General Chemistry at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#10

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#2 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 129 degrees to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Chemistry at UC Berkeley

#21 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s chemistry degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students per year to attend CSULB.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Chemistry at CSULB

#12

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California
#24 in overall quality

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 72 bachelors’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

CSUSB also took the #24 spot in our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about General Chemistry at California State University - San Bernardino

#7 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s chemistry degrees to 148 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about General Chemistry at University of California - Irvine

#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chemistry students list, Chico State has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Chemistry at California State University - Chico

#9 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #15. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 54 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

UCSD also made our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Chemistry at University of California - San Diego

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #16. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 57 bachelors’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students per year to attend University of California - Davis.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.

Read full report on General Chemistry at UC Davis

#17

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#22 in overall quality

San Francisco State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Francisco State University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

SFSU also took the #22 spot in our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students.

Full San Francisco State University General Chemistry Report

#25 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 9 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUB also made our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students.

Read more about General Chemistry at CSUB

#23 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 24 degrees to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.

Read full report on General Chemistry at Cal State LA

#20

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California

With a ranking of #20, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 21 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,692 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students per year to attend Humboldt State University.

Full Humboldt State University General Chemistry Report

#21

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#18 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #21. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chemistry students list, UCR has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Chemistry at UCR

#22

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#10 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s 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 62 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chemistry students list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students.

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 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 more about General Chemistry at UC Santa Cruz

California State University - East Bay ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students.

Read more about General Chemistry at California State University - East Bay

California State University - Fresno came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Chemistry at California State University - Fresno

#19 in overall quality

University of California - Merced ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - Merced is located in Merced, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 bachelors’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

UC Merced did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best General Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $13,896 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students per year to attend University of California - Merced.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.

Read full report on General Chemistry at UC Merced

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You