by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 61 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 20,244 bachelor's degrees in psychology to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of 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:
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 consider a college'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.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for psychology students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 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.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in psychology. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
University of California - Irvine is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in psychology. 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 psychology from University of California - Irvine
It is hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in psychology. UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a bachelor’s in psychology from University of California - Los Angeles
It's difficult to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in psychology. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in psychology from University of Southern California
It is difficult to beat University of California - Santa Cruz if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in psychology. Located in the small city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in psychology from University of California - Santa Cruz
UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.More information about a bachelor’s in psychology from University of California - Santa Barbara
UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Davis.More information about a bachelor’s in psychology from University of California - Davis
Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in psychology from University of California - San Diego
Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in psychology from University of California - Berkeley
SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Santa Clara.More information about a bachelor’s in psychology from Santa Clara University
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 psychology from San Diego State University
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 psychology from California State University - Long Beach
Cal State Fullerton is a very large public university located in the suburb of Fullerton.More information about a bachelor’s in psychology from California State University - Fullerton
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 14 | University of California - Riverside | Riverside, CA |
| 15 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 16 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA |
| 17 | Pepperdine University | Malibu, CA |
| 18 | California State University - San Marcos | San Marcos, CA |
| 19 | University of San Diego | San Diego, CA |
| 20 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
Explore all the Best Psychology Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 34 | 2,442 |
| Hawaii | 30 | 371 |
| Oregon | 30 | 1,685 |
| Nevada | 30 | 729 |
| Alaska | 29 | 110 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Psychology | 15,336 |
| Child Development & Psychology | 4,337 |
| Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 438 |
| Other Psychology | 133 |
