2025 Best General Psychology Schools in California
    
    
        
        79
        Colleges in California
    
 
    
        
        30,073
        Psychology Degrees Awarded
    
 
    
        
        $34,325
        Avg Early-Career Salary
    
 
 
General Psychology is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #4 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
College Factual looked at 79 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best General Psychology Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 30,073 degrees in general psychology to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
 
Choosing a Great General Psychology School

The psychology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for General Psychology rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for general psychology schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
General Psychology Rankings by Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General Psychology Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
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.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
 
Best Schools for General Psychology in California
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the psychology degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
15 Top California Schools in Psychology
	
	
	
Every student who is interested in general psychology needs to look into University of California - Los Angeles. UCLA is a fairly large  public university  located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great  university  overall.
There were approximately 720 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program report average early career earnings of $32,698.
More information about a degree in general psychology from University of California - Los Angeles
	
	
	
	
	
University of California - Irvine is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in general psychology. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public  university  with a very large  student population. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great  university  overall.
There were about 391 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the psychology program make about $27,115 for their early career.
More information about a degree in general psychology from University of California - Irvine
	
	
        
            
                Bachelors
                Degree Type
            
            
                BA in Psychology
                Program Name
            
         
        Advance in your human services or psychology career, or prepare for graduate studies in a variety of fields at Southern New Hampshire University.
        More information about a degree in BA in Psychology from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
            
    
	
	
	
University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in general psychology. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit  university  with a fairly large  student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USC is a great  university  overall.
There were about 198 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the psychology program earn an average of $34,139 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in general psychology from University of Southern California
	
	
	
	
	
Every student who is interested in general psychology has to check out University of California - Santa Cruz. Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public  university  with a fairly large  student population. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great  university  overall.
There were about 446 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, psychology degree recipients typically make around $30,730 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in general psychology from University of California - Santa Cruz
	
	
	
	
	
Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public  university  with a very large  student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great  university  overall.
There were approximately 320 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the psychology program make an average of $29,144 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in general psychology from University of California - San Diego
	
	
 
	
	
	
SCU is a moderately-sized  private not-for-profit university  located in the midsize city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of #53 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SCU is a great  university  overall.
There were approximately 122 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent data year. Those general psychology students who get their degree from Santa Clara University receive $4,262 more than the typical psychology student.
More information about a degree in general psychology from Santa Clara University
	
	
	
	
	
Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public  university  with a fairly large  student population. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SDSU is a great  university  overall.
There were about 724 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the psychology program earn about $30,457 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a degree in general psychology from San Diego State University
	
	
        
            
                Masters
                Degree Type
            
            
                MS in Psychology
                Program Name
            
         
        Our Master of Science in Psychology program is designed to extend your knowledge and discipline in psychology, preparing you for a wide variety of professions and contexts.
        More information about a degree in MS in Psychology from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
            
    
	
	
    
    
        
        Doctor's Degree
        Highest Degree Type
    
 
    
        
        174th
        Most Popular In CA
    
 
    
        
        37
        Psychology Degrees Awarded
    
 
 
	
UC Davis is a very large  public university  located in the small suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great  university  overall.
There were about 37 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general psychology from University of California - Davis
	
	
	
	
	
Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public  university  with a fairly large  student population. This  university  ranks 36th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 565 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year. After graduation, psychology degree recipients generally make about $27,511 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in general psychology from California State University - Long Beach
	
	
	
	
	
Pepperdine is a medium-sized  private not-for-profit university  located in the large suburb of Malibu. A Best Colleges rank of #63 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Pepperdine is a great  university  overall.
There were about 297 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Pepperdine in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the psychology program earn about $34,959 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in general psychology from Pepperdine University
	
	
 
	
	
	
Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large  public university  located in the suburb of Fullerton. This  university  ranks 41st out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 912 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Cal State Fullerton in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program state that they receive average early career earnings of $27,965.
More information about a degree in general psychology from California State University - Fullerton
	
	
	
	
	
Located in the city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit  university  with a medium-sized  student population. A Best Colleges rank of #152 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USFCA is a great  university  overall.
There were approximately 150 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at USFCA in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the general psychology program at University of San Francisco get $2,409 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in general psychology from University of San Francisco
	
	
	
	
	
CSUN is a very large  public university  located in the city of Northridge. This  university  ranks 48th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 944 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at CSUN in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the psychology program make about $28,603 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in general psychology from California State University - Northridge
	
	
	
	
	
Located in the suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit  university  with a medium-sized  student population. A Best Colleges rank of #143 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Azusa Pacific is a great  university  overall.
There were about 171 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Azusa Pacific in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, psychology degree recipients usually earn an average of $32,525 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in general psychology from Azusa Pacific University
	
	
	
	
	
Located in the large city of San Diego, USD is a private not-for-profit  university  with a moderately-sized  student population. This  university  ranks 35th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 123 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at USD in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program report average early career income of $35,595.
More information about a degree in general psychology from University of San Diego