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2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

30 Ranked Colleges
1,781 Degrees Awarded
$11,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 30 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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.

Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Chemistry in California (With Aid)

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. Cal State LA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 24 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State LA, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Chemistry Report

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 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 Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 Cal State Fullerton

#3

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. 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.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students with aid per year to attend Stanford University.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Chemistry at Stanford

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 148 bachelors’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid list, UC Irvine has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Full University of California - Irvine Chemistry Report

#5

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 101 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

SDSU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, 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 full report on Chemistry at SDSU

#6

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - 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 Getting Aid ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 50 degrees to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students with aid.

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

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 129 bachelors’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

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 yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 Chemistry at University of California - Berkeley

California State University - Sacramento ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 40 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

Sac State also took the #15 spot in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 full report on Chemistry at California State University - Sacramento

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 72 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSB also took the #24 spot in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students with aid per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#10

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 100 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

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

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid list, CSUB has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students with aid per year to attend CSUB.

Read more about Chemistry at California State University - Bakersfield

#12

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 51 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Chemistry at UCR

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUDH is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 3 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUDH Chemistry Report

University of California - San Diego came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 259 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid list, UCSD has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.

Read full report on Chemistry at UCSD

#16 in overall quality

California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

CSUSM also made our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemistry at California State University - San Marcos

California State University - Long Beach landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 32 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid list, CSULB has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students with aid.

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 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Chemistry Report

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 69 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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 more about Chemistry at UC Davis

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 61 bachelors’s chemistry degrees 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. It costs about $12,734 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its 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%.

Read more about Chemistry at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

University of California - Merced landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 38 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chemistry students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Merced, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,896 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid per year to attend UC Merced.

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

Full UC Merced Chemistry Report

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid.

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%.

Full Fresno State Chemistry Report

California State University - Channel Islands landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Channel Islands is a medium-sized public school situated in Camarillo, California. It awarded 38 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUCI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $13,558 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid per year to attend CSUCI.

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%.

Full California State University - Channel Islands Chemistry Report

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemistry at Stan State

#23

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

With a ranking of #23, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid 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.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.

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 Chemistry at University of California - Santa Cruz

#24

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #24, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree chemistry students with aid.

Read more about Chemistry at SFSU

California State University - East Bay ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Chemistry Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 8 bachelors’s chemistry degrees in 2019-2020.

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

Read more about Chemistry at Cal State East Bay

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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