At a glance · California

  • 51 colleges in California offer a bachelor's biochemistry program: 46 awarded the degree in 2022-23 (federal IPEDS completions); 5 more report a biochemistry admit rate in the UC/CSU data.
  • Largest programs by graduates in 2022-23: University of California-Los Angeles (185), University of California-Riverside (162), University of California-Davis (160).
  • Hardest reported gate into the program (only the UC and the CSU publish one): 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 → · All 648 colleges nationwide →

Hardest reported gate

16%
University of California-Los Angeles
Biochemistry, Fall 2025: 3,411 applied, 540 admitted

Highest reported admit rate

97.5%
California State University-Fresno
Biochemistry, Fall 2025: 318 applied, 310 admitted

Highest earnings, 4 yrs out

$90,694
University of California-Santa Barbara
median, graduates of this program

Lowest net price with aid

$3,967
California State University-Los Angeles
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, then by graduates. Degree awarded is the program the college conferred bachelor's degrees in during 2022-23, with the number of graduates (federal IPEDS completions). 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 Degree awarded
· graduates 2022-23
Program
admit rate
Campus
admit rate
Net price
with aid
Full
price
Earnings
4 yrs out
University of California-Los Angeles
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 3,411 applied, 540 admitted · admit GPA 4.23–4.30
Biochemistry +1
185 graduates
16% 11% $12,548 $38,614 $73,506
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 1,709 applied, 602 admitted
impacted
Biochemistry
37 graduates
35.2% 30% $16,665 $32,265 $78,097
California State University-Long Beach
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 154 applied, 99 admitted
impacted
Biochemistry
61 graduates
64.3% 47% $10,440 $22,679 $79,820
University of California-Riverside
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 2,589 applied, 2,176 admitted · admit GPA 3.81–4.23
Biochemistry
162 graduates
84% 88% $14,304 $38,942 $59,549
San Jose State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 453 applied, 385 admitted
impacted
— 85.0% 80% $13,760 $26,593 —
California State University-Bakersfield
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 208 applied, 185 admitted
Biochemistry
11 graduates
88.9% 88% $5,652 $19,522 —
San Francisco State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 568 applied, 519 admitted
Biochemistry
39 graduates
91.4% 96% $12,278 $26,488 $76,134
Sonoma State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 105 applied, 96 admitted
Biochemistry
15 graduates
91.4% 95% $12,885 $24,648 —
California State University-East Bay
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 214 applied, 196 admitted
Biochemistry
8 graduates
91.6% 97% $9,320 $22,850 $77,863
California State University-Chico
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 232 applied, 215 admitted
Biochemistry
9 graduates
92.7% 94% $14,480 $26,283 $60,367
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 820 applied, 760 admitted
impacted
— 92.7% 74% $11,531 $23,955 —
California State University-Los Angeles
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 669 applied, 625 admitted
Biochemistry
38 graduates
93.4% 92% $3,967 $18,403 $67,441
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 230 applied, 216 admitted
— 93.9% 99% $13,171 $25,170 —
California State University-Northridge
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 428 applied, 404 admitted
Biochemistry
19 graduates
94.4% 93% $7,021 $20,485 —
California State University-Fullerton
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 1,299 applied, 1,229 admitted
impacted
Biochemistry
62 graduates
94.6% 87% $6,555 $18,269 $68,170
California State University-San Marcos
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 438 applied, 417 admitted
Biochemistry
36 graduates
95.2% 96% $10,229 $21,649 $65,479
California State University-Sacramento
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 326 applied, 313 admitted
Biochemistry
27 graduates
96.0% 94% $9,338 $22,945 $66,885
California State University-Dominguez Hills
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 349 applied, 336 admitted
Biochemistry
5 graduates
96.3% 91% $8,615 $23,191 —
California State University-San Bernardino
CA · Public · Test-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 207 applied, 200 admitted
— 96.6% 98% $4,564 $17,427 $56,277
University of California-Merced
CA · Public · Test-blind
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-blind
Biochemistry
Fall 2025: 318 applied, 310 admitted
Biochemistry
38 graduates
97.5% 96% $7,000 $20,095 —
University of California-Santa Barbara
CA · Public · Test-blind
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other +1
73 graduates
— 44% $16,109 $41,573 $90,694
University of California-Santa Cruz
CA · Public · Test-blind
Not reported by the college system
Molecular Biochemistry
57 graduates
— 82% $17,890 $41,179 $88,305
University of San Diego
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry +1
24 graduates
— 47% $30,365 $78,720 $83,380
University of California-San Diego
CA · Public · Test-blind
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry +2
132 graduates
— 27% $12,470 $38,701 $72,491
University of California-Davis
CA · Public · Test-blind
Not reported by the college system
Molecular Biochemistry
160 graduates
— 46% $14,741 $41,238 $70,754
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry +1
31 graduates
— 10% $32,740 $90,300 $57,246
University of California-Irvine
CA · Public · Test-blind
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
30 graduates
— 30% $14,251 $38,632 —
University of the Pacific
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
23 graduates
— 95% $25,447 $71,515 —
Pomona College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Molecular Biology
22 graduates
— 7% $19,285 $85,300 —
Santa Clara University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
20 graduates
— 44% $50,062 $82,026 —
Chapman University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
19 graduates
— 56% $46,555 $83,146 —
Loyola Marymount University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
17 graduates
— 40% $48,381 $83,943 —
Occidental College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
17 graduates
— 40% $38,263 $84,800 —
Point Loma Nazarene University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
15 graduates
— 82% $38,729 $60,488 —
Scripps College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Molecular Biology +1
11 graduates
— 34% $36,294 $87,564 —
California Lutheran University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
10 graduates
— 89% $30,109 $68,426 —
Saint Mary's College of California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
10 graduates
— 89% $30,378 $77,659 —
Biola University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
7 graduates
— 60% $31,495 $62,757 —
Harvey Mudd College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
6 graduates
— 13% $35,924 $90,165 —
Mount Saint Mary's University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
6 graduates
— 69% $21,413 $66,726 —
Pacific Union College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
4 graduates
— 42% $41,008 $49,404 —
Pitzer College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Molecular Biology +1
4 graduates
— 17% $34,191 $86,466 —
Azusa Pacific University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
3 graduates
— 80% $22,212 $56,313 —
Claremont McKenna College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry +1
3 graduates
— 11% $28,849 $86,500 —
Whittier College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
3 graduates
— 85% $25,757 $63,664 —
California Baptist University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other
2 graduates
— 74% $26,285 $54,038 —
La Sierra University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
2 graduates
— 93% $45,566 $51,459 —
University of Redlands
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
2 graduates
— 81% $30,031 $76,630 —
Vanguard University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
2 graduates
— 65% $21,241 $52,665 —
Concordia University-Irvine
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Biochemistry
1 graduate
— 60% $28,115 $58,682 —

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); IPEDS Completions ↗ (bachelor's degrees conferred by 6-digit program, 2022-23, first major); 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.

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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?state=CA, 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.

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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