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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Chemistry (Income $48-$75k) in California

30 Ranked Colleges
1,781 Degrees Awarded
$33,807 Avg Salary
Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $48-$75k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Chemistry is the 44th most popular major in the country with 21,951 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, chemistry graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $38,704 and had an average of $22,279 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 3,425 chemistry graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,305 and $18,032 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,781 chemistry graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 30 colleges that offer a degree in chemistry. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent chemistry programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the chemistry program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Chemistry Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Chemistry (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,959 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Chemistry at Stanford

#2

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #2 spot on the list. Caltech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech also made our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $8,042 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Caltech.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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%. The 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.

Read full report on Chemistry at California Institute of Technology

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 129 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $13,081 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 Chemistry at University of California - Berkeley

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s chemistry degrees to 50 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $13,081 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UCLA.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low 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%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Chemistry Report

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 spot on the list. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s 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 Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $9,427 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 2.7% 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 Chemistry at California State University - Fullerton

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $5,644 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 more about Chemistry at Cal State LA

#7

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 100 bachelors’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

UCSB also made our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $15,343 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemistry at UCSB

University of California - Irvine ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 148 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,648 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Irvine.

The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of California - Irvine

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 69 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $13,578 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Chemistry at University of California - Davis

#10

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also took the #18 spot in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,290 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UCR.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 more about Chemistry at UCR

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 259 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #9 spot in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,071 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of California - San Diego

#12

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 101 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k list, SDSU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,730 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend SDSU.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemistry at San Diego State University

With a ranking of #13, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 40 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $11,413 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 full report on Chemistry at Sac State

#14

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. CSUSB is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSB also made our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $8,924 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

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

Read full report on Chemistry at California State University - San Bernardino

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. CSUB is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $7,564 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSUB.

Full California State University - Bakersfield Chemistry Report

California State University - Long Beach ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,807 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSULB.

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

Read more about Chemistry at California State University - Long Beach

With a ranking of #17, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s chemistry degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,907 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Chemistry at CSUDH

#18

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 62 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,253 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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 more about Chemistry at University of California - Santa Cruz

#16 in overall quality

California State University - San Marcos ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSM, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUSM is $14,582 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemistry at CSUSM

University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 38 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Merced also took the #19 spot in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Merced is $14,922 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full UC Merced Chemistry Report

California State University - Fresno landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $7,549 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Chemistry at Fresno State

With a ranking of #22, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 61 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $14,012 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 87%.

Read more about Chemistry at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $7,772 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Chemistry at Stan State

#11 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $19,407 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Chemistry Report

California State University - Channel Islands ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Channel Islands 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.

CSUCI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Channel Islands is $15,108 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 California State University - Channel Islands Chemistry Report

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.

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