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2023 Most Popular Colleges for General Chemistry in California

136 Ranked Colleges
3,013 Degrees Awarded
$33,000 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 20,056 people earned their degree in general chemistry, making the major the 43rd most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 3,013 general chemistry graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California” ranking analyzed 136 colleges that offered a degree in general chemistry. To top this list, a school must have a successful general chemistry program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 Chemistry Major in California” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california chemistry students.

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 172 diplomas to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 more about General Chemistry at UCSD

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 170 diplomas to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full University of California - Irvine General Chemistry Report

2

Out of the 136 schools in the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 170 degrees to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.

Full UC Berkeley General Chemistry Report

4

Out of the 136 schools in the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 135 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Chemistry at University of California - Los Angeles

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 116 ’s chemistry degrees 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 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%.

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

6
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

With a ranking of #6, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 105 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Chemistry at SDSU

7

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking, coming in at #7. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 98 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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 more about General Chemistry at UCR

8

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chemistry degrees to 93 students in 2020-2021.

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

Read more about General Chemistry at University of California - Santa Cruz

8

University of California - Davis ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chemistry degrees to 93 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Davis General Chemistry Report

10
Orange Coast College crest
Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa, California

Orange Coast College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking. Orange Coast College is a fairly large school located in Costa Mesa, California that handed out 81 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Orange Coast College General Chemistry Report

11

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 78 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Read more about General Chemistry at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

12
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 67 degrees to qualified ’s chemistry students 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 freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full San Jose State University General Chemistry Report

13
Irvine Valley College crest
Irvine Valley College
Irvine, California

With a ranking of #13, Irvine Valley College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. Irvine Valley College is a fairly large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 64 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about General Chemistry at Irvine Valley College

14
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 58 diplomas to qualified ’s chemistry students in 2020-2021.

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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on General Chemistry at Stanford

15

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 54 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on General Chemistry at California State University - Long Beach

16
Fullerton College crest
Fullerton College
Fullerton, California

With a ranking of #16, Fullerton College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. Fullerton College is a fairly large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 51 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about General Chemistry at Fullerton College

17
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 46 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

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 excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full USC General Chemistry Report

18

With a ranking of #18, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 45 ’s chemistry 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Chemistry at California State University - San Bernardino

19

University of California - Merced landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking. UC Merced is a public institution located in Merced, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

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

20

California State University - Northridge landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 40 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Chemistry at California State University - Northridge

21
Saddleback College crest
Saddleback College
Mission Viejo, California

Saddleback College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking. Mission Viejo, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chemistry degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Chemistry at Saddleback College

22

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking, coming in at #22. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 37 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.

Full Sac State General Chemistry Report

23

With a ranking of #23, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 36 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Chemistry at Fresno State

23

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California ranking. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 36 ’s chemistry degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo General Chemistry Report

25
Golden West College crest
Golden West College
Huntington Beach, California

With a ranking of #25, Golden West College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Chemistry Major in California list. Golden West College is located in Huntington Beach, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 ’s chemistry degrees to qualified students.

Full Golden West College General Chemistry Report

Notes and References

References

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