College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Focused Colleges for General Biology in California

185 Ranked Colleges
$35,600 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Biology 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 Highly Focused on Biology Major in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

With 106,032 degrees handed out in 2021-2022, general biology is the 5th most popular major in the United States. In , general biology graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $28,339 and had an average of $23,597 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 14,442 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,117 and $20,969 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California” ranking analyzed 185 colleges that offered a degree in general biology. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in general biology.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Biology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Highly Focused on Biology Major in California” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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.

Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California”.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for General Biology in California

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s biology degrees to 6 students in 2021-2022.

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.

Full Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute General Biology Report

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences at City of Hope. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California list. Duarte, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s biology degrees to 14 students in 2021-2022.

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.

Read more about General Biology at Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences at City of Hope

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Merced. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California list. Merced, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biology degrees to 316 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at University of California - Merced

4

Out of the 185 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science landed the #4 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s biology degrees to 35 students in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 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 full report on General Biology at Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science

5
Yuba College crest
Yuba College
Marysville, California

Out of the 185 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Yuba College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Marysville, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 128 degrees to qualified ’s biology students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Yuba College General Biology Report

6
Whittier crest
Whittier College
Whittier, California

Whittier College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California ranking. Whittier College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Whittier, California. It awarded 31 ’s biology degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.

Read full report on General Biology at Whittier College

7
Clovis Community College crest
Clovis Community College
Fresno, California

Clovis Community College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California ranking, coming in at #7. Fresno, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biology degrees to 211 students in 2021-2022.

Full Clovis Community College General Biology Report

8
Mission College crest
Mission College
Santa Clara, California

Mission College landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Santa Clara, California, and it awarded 91 ’s biology degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at Mission College

9

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California list. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 653 ’s biology degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%.

Read more about General Biology at University of California - Riverside

10
Laney College crest
Laney College
Oakland, California

Laney College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California ranking. Laney College is a medium-sized public school situated in Oakland, California. It awarded 4 ’s biology degrees in 2021-2022.

Full Laney College General Biology Report

11
San Diego City College crest
San Diego City College
San Diego, California

San Diego City College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biology degrees to 97 students in 2021-2022.

Read more about General Biology at San Diego City College

12
Fresno City College crest
Fresno City College
Fresno, California

Fresno City College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 222 ’s biology degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Fresno City College General Biology Report

13
University of Saint Katherine crest
University of Saint Katherine
San Marcos, California

With a ranking of #13, University of Saint Katherine did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California list. University of Saint Katherine is a small school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 1 ’s biology degrees in 2021-2022.

Full University of Saint Katherine General Biology Report

14

Southern California University of Health Sciences did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. Southern California University of Health Sciences is a small school located in Whittier, California that handed out 50 ’s biology degrees in 2021-2022.

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%.

Full Southern California University of Health Sciences General Biology Report

15
Oxy crest
Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

Occidental College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s biology degrees to 40 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Occidental College General Biology Report

16

Dominican University of California ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California list. Dominican University of California is a small school located in San Rafael, California that handed out 55 ’s biology degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 0.9% 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%.

Read full report on General Biology at Dominican University of California

17
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California ranking, coming in at #17. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 108 ’s biology degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.

Read more about General Biology at Humboldt State University

18
Westmont crest
Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California

Westmont College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s biology degrees to 34 students in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 0.6%, 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 full report on General Biology at Westmont College

19
Napa Valley College crest
Napa Valley College
Napa, California

With a ranking of #19, Napa Valley College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California list. Napa Valley College is a small public school situated in Napa, California. It awarded 60 ’s biology degrees in 2021-2022.

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%.

Full Napa Valley College General Biology Report

20
San Bernardino Valley College crest
San Bernardino Valley College
San Bernardino, California

San Bernardino Valley College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California ranking. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified ’s biology students in 2021-2022.

Read full report on General Biology at San Bernardino Valley College

21

California State University - Channel Islands came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California ranking. California State University - Channel Islands is a public institution located in Camarillo, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 103 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

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 Biology at CSUCI

22
Reedley College crest
Reedley College
Reedley, California

Reedley College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California ranking. Reedley, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biology degrees to 136 students in 2021-2022.

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 Reedley College General Biology Report

23
Pacific crest
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California

University of the Pacific came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California ranking. Pacific is located in Stockton, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 144 ’s biology degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Full Pacific General Biology Report

24
San Diego Mesa College crest
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, California

San Diego Mesa College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 138 ’s biology degrees in 2021-2022.

Read more about General Biology at San Diego Mesa College

25

With a ranking of #25, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 668 diplomas to qualified ’s biology students in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 UC Irvine General Biology Report

Rest of the Best 28 in Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in California

Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Taft College crest
Taft College
Taft, CA
27
28

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options