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2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California

136 Ranked Colleges
3,316 Degrees Awarded
$33,000 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Chemistry is the 51st most popular major in the country with 21,239 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California” ranking looked at 136 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in chemistry. To top this list, a school must have a successful chemistry program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 “Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California”.

1

Out of the 136 schools in the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #1 spot on the list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chemistry degrees to 412 students 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 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD Chemistry Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 175 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemistry at UC Irvine

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 170 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.

Full UC Berkeley Chemistry Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 135 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCLA Chemistry Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 126 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 full report on Chemistry at UCSB

6

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 119 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad 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 more about Chemistry at University of California - Davis

7
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chemistry degrees to 105 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full San Diego State University Chemistry Report

8

University of California - Riverside ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 98 diplomas to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of California - Riverside

9

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking, coming in at #9. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 93 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

10
Orange Coast College crest
Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa, California

Orange Coast College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking, coming in at #10. Orange Coast College is a public institution located in Costa Mesa, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 81 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Orange Coast College Chemistry Report

11

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 78 degrees to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.

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 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Chemistry Report

12
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chemistry degrees to 67 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full San Jose State Chemistry Report

13
Irvine Valley College crest
Irvine Valley College
Irvine, California

Irvine Valley College ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. Irvine Valley College is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 64 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Chemistry at Irvine Valley College

14
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

With a ranking of #14, Stanford University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 58 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Chemistry at Stanford

15

California State University - Long Beach came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 54 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Chemistry at CSULB

16

University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking, coming in at #16. UC Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 53 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

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

Full University of California - Merced Chemistry Report

17
Fullerton College crest
Fullerton College
Fullerton, California

Fullerton College ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. Fullerton College is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 51 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Chemistry at Fullerton College

18
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #18, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 46 diplomas 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 91%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 more about Chemistry at University of Southern California

19

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Chemistry at California State University - San Bernardino

20

With a ranking of #20, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school awarded 44 diplomas to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemistry at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

21

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 40 degrees to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemistry at CSUN

22
Saddleback College crest
Saddleback College
Mission Viejo, California

With a ranking of #22, Saddleback College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. Saddleback College is located in Mission Viejo, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

Full Saddleback College Chemistry Report

23

California State University - Sacramento came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Sac State Chemistry Report

24

California State University - Fresno landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 36 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, 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 California State University - Fresno

25
Golden West College crest
Golden West College
Huntington Beach, California

With a ranking of #25, Golden West College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Huntington Beach, California, and it awarded 35 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Golden West College Chemistry Report

Notes and References

References

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