2025 Best General Chemistry Schools in California
24
Colleges in California
3,062
Chemistry Degrees Awarded
Ranked #43 in popularity,
general chemistry is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 24 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for general chemistry students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 3,062 degrees in general chemistry to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great General Chemistry School
The chemistry program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for General Chemistry rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for general chemistry 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.
Pick Your General Chemistry Degree Level
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 Best General Chemistry Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for General Chemistry in California
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the chemistry degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top California Schools in Chemistry
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In CA
136
Chemistry Degrees Awarded
It's difficult to beat University of California - Santa Barbara if you want to pursue a degree in general chemistry. UCSB is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.
There were about 136 general chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general chemistry from University of California - Santa Barbara
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
204
Chemistry Degrees Awarded
It's difficult to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a degree in general chemistry. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were roughly 204 general chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general chemistry from University of California - Berkeley
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
163
Chemistry Degrees Awarded
It's difficult to beat University of California - Irvine if you want to pursue a degree in general chemistry. 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 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were about 163 general chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general chemistry from University of California - Irvine
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
184
Chemistry Degrees Awarded
University of California - San Diego is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in general chemistry. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were roughly 184 general chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general chemistry from University of California - San Diego
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
8th
Most Popular In CA
84
Chemistry Degrees Awarded
UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were about 84 general chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general chemistry from University of California - Davis
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In CA
142
Chemistry Degrees Awarded
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 about 142 general chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general chemistry from University of California - Los Angeles
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
8th
Most Popular In CA
75
Chemistry Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.
There were roughly 75 general chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general chemistry from University of California - Santa Cruz
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In CA
129
Chemistry Degrees Awarded
Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 129 general chemistry students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general chemistry from San Diego State University
Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #225 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SFSU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 23 general chemistry students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general chemistry from San Francisco State University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
23rd
Most Popular In CA
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public university located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #165 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.
There were about 26 general chemistry students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general chemistry from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
