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2025 Best General Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

60 Colleges in California
15,336 Bachelor's Degrees
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in general psychology, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #3 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 60 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best General Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 15,336 bachelor's degrees in general psychology to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great General Psychology School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best General Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of general psychology for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality psychology program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for general psychology students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Psychology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The psychology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best General Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study General Psychology in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in general psychology. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

12 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Psychology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
685 Annual Graduates

University of California - Los Angeles is a good choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in general psychology. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a bachelor’s in general psychology from University of California - Los Angeles

2
457 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in general psychology has to take a look at University of California - Irvine. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general psychology from University of California - Irvine

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
189 Annual Graduates

University of Southern California is a wonderful option for students pursuing a bachelor's 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.More information about a bachelor’s in general psychology from University of Southern California

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
499 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in general psychology needs to check out University of California - Santa Cruz. Located in the small city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general psychology from University of California - Santa Cruz

5
350 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general psychology from University of California - San Diego

6
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
115 Annual Graduates

SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Santa Clara.More information about a bachelor’s in general psychology from Santa Clara University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
646 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general psychology from San Diego State University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
597 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general psychology from California State University - Long Beach

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
992 Annual Graduates

Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fullerton.More information about a bachelor’s in general psychology from California State University - Fullerton

10
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
120 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general psychology from University of San Francisco

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
980 Annual Graduates

CSUN is a very large public university located in the large city of Northridge.More information about a bachelor’s in general psychology from California State University - Northridge

12
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general psychology from Azusa Pacific University

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best General Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
13 Pepperdine University Malibu, CA
14 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
15 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
16 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
17 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
18 California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA
19 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
20 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA

Best General Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best General Psychology Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 521 1,675
Oregon 343 1,582
Nevada 201 728
Hawaii 172 371
Alaska 87 99

View All Rankings >

One of 0 majors within the General Psychology area of study, General Psychology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Notes and References

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