By major · Biochemistry
Where can your student actually get into biochemistry?
Biochemistry is offered widely in California, and the reported admit rates vary enormously from one campus to the next. UCLA reported 3,411 applications and 540 admits for biochemistry, a rate of 16%, while Cal State Fresno reported 97.5% for the same major. At most UC programs the campus admits the student rather than the major, so the UCLA figure tells you about applying to UCLA and not about a separate biochemistry door. In all, 32 colleges in California report a bachelor's biochemistry program in federal outcome data or a biochemistry admit rate in the UC/CSU data, and every number below is the college system's own reporting.
At a glance · California
- 32 colleges in California report a bachelor's biochemistry program in federal outcome data or a biochemistry admit rate in the UC/CSU data.
- Hardest reported gate: University of California-Los Angeles — Biochemistry, Fall 2025: 3,411 applied, 540 admitted (16%).
- Highest reported admit rate into the program: California State University-Fresno — 97.5% (318 applied, 310 admitted, Fall 2025).
- Highest median earnings four years after the degree: University of California-Santa Barbara, $90,694.
- Lowest average net price with aid: California State University-Los Angeles, $3,967 per year.
Every California public campus that reports biochemistry here reports a first-year row, so students apply to the major as freshmen rather than entering as a pre-major and competing for a seat later. A college on this list with no admit row is one that does not report admissions by major, which is not the same thing as an open door. Admits are not enrollees. At most UC programs students are admitted to the campus, not the major. This page as JSON → · Show all 191 colleges nationwide →
Hardest reported gate
Biochemistry, Fall 2025: 3,411 applied, 540 admitted
Highest reported admit rate
Biochemistry, Fall 2025: 318 applied, 310 admitted
Highest earnings, 4 yrs out
median, graduates of this program
Lowest net price with aid
average for aid recipients, per year
Every college, one row each
Colleges with a reported gate into the program come first, hardest first; the rest are sorted by earnings. Program admit rate is the college system's own number for this major (UC Information Center, CSU Chancellor's Office). Net price is the average paid by aid recipients; full price is the cost of attendance. Earnings are federal College Scorecard medians four years after the degree.
| College | Gate into the program | Program admit rate |
Campus admit rate |
Net price with aid |
Full price |
Earnings 4 yrs out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
University of California-Los Angeles
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 3,411 applied, 540 admitted · admit GPA 4.23–4.30
|
16% | 11% | $12,548 | $38,614 | $73,506 |
|
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 1,709 applied, 602 admitted
impacted
|
35.2% | 30% | $16,665 | $32,265 | $78,097 |
|
California State University-Long Beach
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 154 applied, 99 admitted
impacted
|
64.3% | 47% | $10,440 | $22,679 | $79,820 |
|
University of California-Riverside
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 2,589 applied, 2,176 admitted · admit GPA 3.81–4.23
|
84% | 88% | $14,304 | $38,942 | $59,549 |
|
San Jose State University
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 453 applied, 385 admitted
impacted
|
85.0% | 80% | $13,760 | $26,593 | — |
|
California State University-Bakersfield
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 208 applied, 185 admitted
|
88.9% | 88% | $5,652 | $19,522 | — |
|
San Francisco State University
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 568 applied, 519 admitted
|
91.4% | 96% | $12,278 | $26,488 | $76,134 |
|
Sonoma State University
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 105 applied, 96 admitted
|
91.4% | 95% | $12,885 | $24,648 | — |
|
California State University-East Bay
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 214 applied, 196 admitted
|
91.6% | 97% | $9,320 | $22,850 | $77,863 |
|
California State University-Chico
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 232 applied, 215 admitted
|
92.7% | 94% | $14,480 | $26,283 | $60,367 |
|
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 820 applied, 760 admitted
impacted
|
92.7% | 74% | $11,531 | $23,955 | — |
|
California State University-Los Angeles
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 669 applied, 625 admitted
|
93.4% | 92% | $3,967 | $18,403 | $67,441 |
|
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 230 applied, 216 admitted
|
93.9% | 99% | $13,171 | $25,170 | — |
|
California State University-Northridge
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 428 applied, 404 admitted
|
94.4% | 93% | $7,021 | $20,485 | — |
|
California State University-Fullerton
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 1,299 applied, 1,229 admitted
impacted
|
94.6% | 87% | $6,555 | $18,269 | $68,170 |
|
California State University-San Marcos
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 438 applied, 417 admitted
|
95.2% | 96% | $10,229 | $21,649 | $65,479 |
|
California State University-Sacramento
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 326 applied, 313 admitted
|
96.0% | 94% | $9,338 | $22,945 | $66,885 |
|
California State University-Dominguez Hills
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 349 applied, 336 admitted
|
96.3% | 91% | $8,615 | $23,191 | — |
|
California State University-San Bernardino
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 207 applied, 200 admitted
|
96.6% | 98% | $4,564 | $17,427 | $56,277 |
|
University of California-Merced
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 1,295 applied, 1,251 admitted · admit GPA 3.63–4.20
|
97% | 95% | $11,983 | $39,665 | — |
|
California State University-Fresno
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 318 applied, 310 admitted
|
97.5% | 96% | $7,000 | $20,095 | — |
|
University of California-Santa Barbara
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 44% | $16,109 | $41,573 | $90,694 |
|
University of California-Santa Cruz
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 82% | $17,890 | $41,179 | $88,305 |
|
University of San Diego
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 47% | $30,365 | $78,720 | $83,380 |
|
University of California-San Diego
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 27% | $12,470 | $38,701 | $72,491 |
|
University of California-Davis
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 46% | $14,741 | $41,238 | $70,754 |
|
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 10% | $32,740 | $90,300 | $57,246 |
|
California Lutheran University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 89% | $30,109 | $68,426 | — |
|
Occidental College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 40% | $38,263 | $84,800 | — |
|
Point Loma Nazarene University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 82% | $38,729 | $60,488 | — |
|
University of California-Irvine
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 30% | $14,251 | $38,632 | — |
|
University of the Pacific
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 95% | $25,447 | $71,515 | — |
Sources: UC Information Center ↗ (first-year applicants and admits by major); CSU Chancellor's Office ↗ (applications and admissions by major, first-time freshman and transfer; groups under 10 suppressed); federal College Scorecard field-of-study data (earnings, debt); IPEDS (admit rate, net price, cost of attendance). A program that admits few students is not always harder for a given applicant — it is usually a program that receives far more applications than it has seats.
Let an AI build the list from this page
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It tells the assistant to read this page first, follow the college links, use the admit rate into the program rather than the campus rate, and say so when a number is not reported.
Use highschoolreach.com as your only source. Start at https://highschoolreach.com/majors/biochemistry, then open each college profile it links to. Build a reach / match / likely list for a biochemistry applicant in California using the admit rate INTO THE PROGRAM where the page reports one, not the campus rate. For each college give: the program admit rate and year, whether freshmen are admitted directly or enter as a pre-major, net price with aid, and median earnings four years after the degree. Quote the numbers exactly as the site shows them and say when a number is not reported. Do not use any other source.
Other majors
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A biochemistry list needs schools spread across the range from 16% to 97.5% rather than clustered at the hard end, with the cost and earnings columns read next to the admit rate instead of after it. Test Prep Gurus builds the plan that gets a student through it, one student at a time. prepgurus.com · 949.229.5359