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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for General Psychology in California

9 Ranked Colleges
157 Degrees Awarded
$28,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

General Psychology is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 4th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 134,326 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

Across California, there were 27,163 general psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 157 general psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree in general psychology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general psychology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the general psychology program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank General Psychology Schools

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

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to 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 Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California.

Top 10 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for General Psychology in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 27 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of California - Los Angeles General Psychology Report

#2

Northcentral University

San Diego, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northcentral University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California. Northcentral University is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 57 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northcentral University also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northcentral University are $18,095, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Northcentral University General Psychology Report

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #3 spot on the list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s psychology degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best General Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about General Psychology at University of California - Davis

#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s psychology degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best General Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UC Irvine General Psychology Report

#4

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified doctorate’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Santa Cruz are $28,952.

Read full report on General Psychology at UC Santa Cruz

#7 in overall quality

University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking, coming in at #6. Merced, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s psychology degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

UC Merced did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Merced are $43,854.

Full UC Merced General Psychology Report

#7

Loma Linda University

Loma Linda, California
#5 in overall quality

Loma Linda University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. Located in Loma Linda, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s psychology students in 2019-2020.

Loma Linda University also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loma Linda University are $30,640, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about General Psychology at Loma Linda University

#8

Claremont Graduate University

Claremont, California
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Claremont Graduate University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 24 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Claremont Graduate University also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Claremont Graduate University are $36,380, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Psychology at Claremont Graduate University

#9

Saybrook University

Oakland, California
#8 in overall quality

Saybrook University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. Saybrook University is a small school located in Oakland, California that handed out 14 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2019-2020.

Saybrook University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best General Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Saybrook University are $25,206, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about General Psychology at Saybrook University

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to BruceBlaus.

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