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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Child Development & Psychology in California

19 Ranked Colleges
3,804 Degrees Awarded
$28,137 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California” ranking.

Child Development & Psychology is the 57th most popular major in the country with 17,542 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, child development and psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,186 and had an average of $22,623 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 4,035 child development and psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,767 and $17,012 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,804 child development and psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,566 and $21,995 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in child development and psychology. That schools that top this list have a program in child development and psychology in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California” list to help you make the college 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California”.

Top 19 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Child Development & Psychology in California

1
Pitzer crest
Pitzer College
Claremont, California

Out of the 19 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Pitzer College landed the #1 spot on the list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad 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 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.

Full Pitzer Child Development & Psychology Report

2
Scripps crest
Scripps College
Claremont, California

Out of the 19 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Scripps College landed the #2 spot on the list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Scripps

3
Claremont McKenna crest
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California

Out of the 19 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Claremont McKenna College landed the #3 spot on the list. Claremont McKenna is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 38 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Claremont McKenna

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California list. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 593 bachelors’s child development 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 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at University of California - Riverside

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 879 students in 2020-2021.

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

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at University of California - Davis

6

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 567 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at University of California - Santa Barbara

7

University of California - Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California ranking. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 770 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad 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 UC Irvine Child Development & Psychology Report

8
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, California

Pomona College landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California ranking. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Pomona College

9

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 432 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at University of California - Los Angeles

10

University of California - Berkeley came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California ranking. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 303 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at University of California - Berkeley

11
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California ranking. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Stanford University Child Development & Psychology Report

12
MSMU crest
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California ranking. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full MSMU Child Development & Psychology Report

13

Saint Mary’s College of California ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California list. Moraga, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at SMC

14

University of California - San Diego came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 78 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.

Full UCSD Child Development & Psychology Report

15
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

With a ranking of #15, Chapman University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California list. Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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 undergrad 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 Child Development & Psychology at Chapman

16
Brandman crest
Brandman University
Irvine, California

Brandman University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California list. Brandman is a medium-sized school located in Irvine, California that handed out 1 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%.

Full Brandman University Child Development & Psychology Report

17
HNU crest
Holy Names University
Oakland, California

Holy Names University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California list. This small school is located in Oakland, California, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.

Full Holy Names University Child Development & Psychology Report

17

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California ranking. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad 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 full report on Child Development & Psychology at UC Santa Cruz

17
La Sierra crest
La Sierra University
Riverside, California

With a ranking of #17, La Sierra University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major in California list. La Sierra University is located in Riverside, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 Child Development & Psychology at La Sierra

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