by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 195,678 psychology students received their degree, making the major the 8th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $35,611 and had an average of $25,989 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 40,588 psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,013 and $22,554 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 6,247 psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $62,974 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s” ranking looked at 85 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in psychology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular psychology programs in the United States.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree psychology students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend National University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s list. National University is located in La Jolla, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,058 masters’s psychology degrees to qualified students.
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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pepperdine University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s. Pepperdine is a fairly large school located in Malibu, California that handed out 671 masters’s psychology 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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 338 masters’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northcentral University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s. Located in San Diego, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 238 degrees to qualified masters’s psychology students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Touro University Worldwide landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. TUW is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Alamitos, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 216 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Psychology at Touro University Worldwide
California Institute of Integral Studies did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #7. CIIS is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 201 masters’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California Baptist University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. Cal Baptist is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 198 masters’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.
Antioch University - Los Angeles landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. Antioch University - Los Angeles is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Culver City, California. It awarded 194 masters’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Psychology at Antioch University - Los Angeles
University of San Francisco ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s list. University of San Francisco is a fairly large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 187 masters’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
University of Southern California landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s psychology degrees to 127 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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. 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%.
Pacifica Graduate Institute did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #12. Pacifica Graduate Institute is a private for-profit institution located in Carpinteria, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 124 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute
The Wright Institute ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s list. The Wright Institute is a private not-for-profit institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 115 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Azusa Pacific University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized school located in Azusa, California that handed out 114 masters’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Palo Alto University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s list. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Palo Alto, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 102 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 full report on Psychology at Pacific Graduate School of Psychology
Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #16. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s psychology degrees to 98 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 ranking of #17, University of San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s list. University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 97 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
Brandman University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #18. Irvine, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s psychology degrees to 94 students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Alliant International University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #19. San Diego, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out masters’s psychology degrees to 92 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Psychology at Alliant International University
Fielding Graduate University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 85 diplomas to qualified masters’s psychology 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 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%.
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #21. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s psychology degrees to 69 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Long Beach Psychology Report
With a ranking of #22, Hope International University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s list. Hope International University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 68 masters’s psychology 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 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #23. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s psychology degrees to 66 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #24, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s list. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 masters’s psychology degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Notre Dame de Namur University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. NDNU is a small school located in Belmont, California that handed out 53 masters’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Vanguard University of Southern California came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Psychology Major in California for a Master’s ranking. Located in Costa Mesa, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 53 degrees to qualified masters’s psychology students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Vanguard University of Southern California Psychology Report
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
