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2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for General Psychology in California

18 Ranked Colleges
188 Degrees Awarded
$66,778 Avg Salary
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

With 141,695 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, general psychology is the 4th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, general psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,326 and had an average of $26,018 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 29,992 general psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,807 and $22,757 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 188 general psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,525 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California” ranking, we looked at 18 colleges that offer a degree in general psychology. That schools that top this list have a program in general psychology in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The psychology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California”.

Top 18 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for General Psychology in California

1
Saybrook University crest
Saybrook University
Oakland, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saybrook University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California list. Saybrook University is located in Oakland, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 doctorate’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Saybrook University General Psychology Report

2
Northcentral University crest
Northcentral University
San Diego, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northcentral University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California. This fairly large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 88 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Psychology at Northcentral University

3
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

Out of the 18 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Claremont Graduate University landed the #3 spot on the list. Claremont Graduate University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 16 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Claremont Graduate University General Psychology Report

4
Loma Linda University crest
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loma Linda University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California. This small school is located in Loma Linda, California, and it awarded 17 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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 more about General Psychology at Loma Linda University

5

Out of the 18 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s psychology degrees 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus General Psychology Report

6

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 doctorate’s psychology degrees to qualified students.

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 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%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles General Psychology Report

7

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about General Psychology at UC Santa Cruz

8

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 12 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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 more about General Psychology at UC Davis

9

University of California - Merced ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California list. University of California - Merced is located in Merced, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s psychology degrees to qualified 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%. 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 UC Merced General Psychology Report

10

11

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. 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 2020-2021.

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

Read more about General Psychology at UC Irvine

12

University of California - Berkeley ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 0 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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

Full University of California - Berkeley General Psychology Report

12

University of California - Riverside came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s psychology degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.

Read more about General Psychology at UCR

12
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 0 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Psychology at Stanford

12
Southern California Seminary crest
Southern California Seminary
El Cajon, California

Southern California Seminary did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California ranking, coming in at #12. Located in El Cajon, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 0 degrees to qualified doctorate’s psychology students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about General Psychology at Southern California Seminary

12

With a ranking of #12, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s psychology degrees to 216 students in 2020-2021.

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

Read full report on General Psychology at UCSD

12

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California ranking. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 0 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.

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

Read full report on General Psychology at University of California - Santa Barbara

12

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major in California ranking, coming in at #12. Irvine, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s psychology degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 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 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Irvine

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