By major · Psychology
Where can your student actually get into psychology?
Psychology is a major where two California publics can give your student opposite answers to the same application. In Fall 2025 UC Berkeley admitted 5% of its psychology applicants and Cal State LA admitted 92.4% of its. At the UC campuses the decision belongs to the campus rather than the psychology department, so that 5% is telling you how hard Berkeley is to get into more than it is telling you about the major. 89 colleges in California report a bachelor's psychology program in federal outcome data or a psychology admit rate in the UC/CSU data, and every number below is the college system's own reporting.
At a glance · California
- 89 colleges in California offer a bachelor's psychology program; every one of them awarded the degree in 2022-23 (federal IPEDS completions).
- Largest programs by graduates in 2022-23: University of California-Irvine (1,067), University of California-Los Angeles (1,063), California State University-Fullerton (983).
- Hardest reported gate into the program (only the UC and the CSU publish one): University of California-Berkeley — Psychology, Fall 2025: 6,361 applied, 343 admitted (5%).
- Highest reported admit rate into the program: University of California-Santa Cruz — 99% (536 applied, 529 admitted, Fall 2025).
- Highest median earnings four years after the degree: Santa Clara University, $75,742.
- Lowest average net price with aid: San Diego Christian College, $992 per year.
A college with no first-year psychology row is not closed to psychology; most often it does not report admissions by major at all, so the campus admit rate is the number to plan around. Where a campus does report psychology on its own, the spread between campuses is wide: Cal Poly SLO reports 13.0% and Cal State LA reports 92.4% for the same degree. Admits are not enrollees. At most UC programs students are admitted to the campus, not the major. This page as JSON → · All 1465 colleges nationwide →
Hardest reported gate
Psychology, Fall 2025: 6,361 applied, 343 admitted
Highest reported admit rate
Psychology, Fall 2025: 536 applied, 529 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, 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-Berkeley
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 6,361 applied, 343 admitted · admit GPA 4.15–4.29
|
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
322 graduates
|
5% | 10% | $13,481 | $45,619 | $64,904 |
|
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 3,732 applied, 486 admitted
impacted
|
Psychology, General
131 graduates
|
13.0% | 30% | $16,665 | $32,265 | $60,466 |
|
University of California-San Diego
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 4,513 applied, 836 admitted · admit GPA 4.09–4.28
Business Psychology: 18% · Psychology With A Specialization In Clinical Psychology: 23%
|
Psychology, General +6
725 graduates
|
19% | 27% | $12,470 | $38,701 | $63,130 |
|
University of California-Irvine
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 6,826 applied, 1,428 admitted · admit GPA 4.09–4.28
|
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other +3
1,067 graduates
|
21% | 30% | $14,251 | $38,632 | $56,380 |
|
University of California-Davis
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 5,687 applied, 1,408 admitted · admit GPA 4.06–4.26
|
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
866 graduates
|
25% | 46% | $14,741 | $41,238 | $60,257 |
|
San Diego State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 7,221 applied, 2,114 admitted
impacted
|
Psychology, General
630 graduates
|
29.3% | 34% | $15,364 | $27,780 | $51,021 |
|
California State University-Long Beach
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 5,975 applied, 2,563 admitted
impacted
|
Psychology, General
595 graduates
|
42.9% | 47% | $10,440 | $22,679 | $48,926 |
|
University of California-Santa Barbara
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Biopsychology
Fall 2025: 2,018 applied, 924 admitted · admit GPA 4.15–4.29
|
Experimental Psychology +1
643 graduates
|
46% | 44% | $16,109 | $41,573 | $66,171 |
|
San Jose State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 2,099 applied, 1,718 admitted
impacted
|
Psychology, General
485 graduates
|
81.8% | 80% | $13,760 | $26,593 | — |
|
California State University-Bakersfield
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 882 applied, 751 admitted
|
Psychology, General
272 graduates
|
85.1% | 88% | $5,652 | $19,522 | $49,207 |
|
California State University-East Bay
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 735 applied, 643 admitted
Industrial/Organizational Psychology: 96.7%
|
Psychology, General
375 graduates
|
87.5% | 97% | $9,320 | $22,850 | $54,436 |
|
University of California-Riverside
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 5,682 applied, 5,006 admitted · admit GPA 3.57–4.09
|
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
580 graduates
|
88% | 88% | $14,304 | $38,942 | $49,947 |
|
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 2,571 applied, 2,266 admitted
impacted
|
Psychology, General
360 graduates
|
88.1% | 74% | $11,531 | $23,955 | $49,747 |
|
California State University-Fullerton
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 4,673 applied, 4,131 admitted
impacted
|
Psychology, General
983 graduates
|
88.4% | 87% | $6,555 | $18,269 | $51,661 |
|
San Francisco State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 2,068 applied, 1,843 admitted
|
Psychology, General
470 graduates
|
89.1% | 96% | $12,278 | $26,488 | $55,902 |
|
California State University-Chico
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 1,285 applied, 1,169 admitted
|
Psychology, General
304 graduates
|
91.0% | 94% | $14,480 | $26,283 | $52,621 |
|
California State University-Channel Islands
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 841 applied, 770 admitted
|
Psychology, General
356 graduates
|
91.6% | 93% | $9,849 | $23,561 | $48,789 |
|
California State University-Northridge
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 2,510 applied, 2,313 admitted
|
Psychology, General
978 graduates
|
92.2% | 93% | $7,021 | $20,485 | $49,792 |
|
California State University-Los Angeles
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 2,758 applied, 2,549 admitted
|
Psychology, General
412 graduates
|
92.4% | 92% | $3,967 | $18,403 | $46,060 |
|
Sonoma State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 736 applied, 685 admitted
|
Psychology, General
282 graduates
|
93.1% | 95% | $12,885 | $24,648 | $57,335 |
|
California State University-Stanislaus
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 456 applied, 427 admitted
Developmental Psychology: 95.1%
|
Psychology, General
454 graduates
|
93.6% | 98% | $6,067 | $19,739 | $50,348 |
|
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 869 applied, 813 admitted
|
Psychology, General
151 graduates
|
93.6% | 99% | $13,171 | $25,170 | $45,889 |
|
California State University-Sacramento
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 1,741 applied, 1,636 admitted
|
Psychology, General
633 graduates
|
94.0% | 94% | $9,338 | $22,945 | $53,237 |
|
University of California-Merced
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 3,400 applied, 3,210 admitted · admit GPA 3.44–4.08
|
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
338 graduates
|
94% | 95% | $11,983 | $39,665 | $53,143 |
|
California State University-San Marcos
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 1,113 applied, 1,050 admitted
|
Psychology, General
313 graduates
|
94.3% | 96% | $10,229 | $21,649 | $55,196 |
|
California State University-Dominguez Hills
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 1,650 applied, 1,574 admitted
|
Psychology, General
530 graduates
|
95.4% | 91% | $8,615 | $23,191 | $52,965 |
|
California State University-San Bernardino
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 543 applied, 522 admitted
Physiological Psychology: 97.6% · Industrial/Organizational Psychology: 92.9%
|
Psychology, General
564 graduates
|
96.1% | 98% | $4,564 | $17,427 | $63,062 |
|
California State University-Monterey Bay
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 1,898 applied, 1,832 admitted
|
Psychology, General
290 graduates
|
96.5% | 95% | $13,663 | $26,987 | $54,074 |
|
California State University-Fresno
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 1,082 applied, 1,052 admitted
Forensic Psychology: 97.3%
|
Psychology, General +1
632 graduates
|
97.2% | 96% | $7,000 | $20,095 | $51,526 |
|
University of California-Santa Cruz
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Psychology
Fall 2025: 536 applied, 529 admitted · admit GPA 3.73–4.08
|
Psychology, General
430 graduates
|
99% | 82% | $17,890 | $41,179 | $59,948 |
|
Santa Clara University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
100 graduates
|
— | 44% | $50,062 | $82,026 | $75,742 |
|
University of San Diego
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
109 graduates
|
— | 47% | $30,365 | $78,720 | $74,178 |
|
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
173 graduates
|
— | 10% | $32,740 | $90,300 | $70,461 |
|
Saint Mary's College of California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General +3
53 graduates
|
— | 89% | $30,378 | $77,659 | $70,123 |
|
Azusa Pacific University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
120 graduates
|
— | 80% | $22,212 | $56,313 | $66,411 |
|
University of San Francisco
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
118 graduates
|
— | 51% | $41,431 | $80,141 | $65,071 |
|
Chapman University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
155 graduates
|
— | 56% | $46,555 | $83,146 | $63,617 |
|
Pepperdine University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General +1
90 graduates
|
— | 50% | $58,098 | $93,512 | $61,353 |
|
Dominican University of California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
21 graduates
|
— | 96% | $35,333 | $71,751 | $61,339 |
|
University of California-Los Angeles
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General +1
1,063 graduates
|
— | 11% | $12,548 | $38,614 | $61,134 |
|
California Baptist University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General +1
162 graduates
|
— | 74% | $26,285 | $54,038 | $61,103 |
|
Loyola Marymount University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
149 graduates
|
— | 40% | $48,381 | $83,943 | $60,958 |
|
California Lutheran University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
93 graduates
|
— | 89% | $30,109 | $68,426 | $59,153 |
|
Whittier College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
35 graduates
|
— | 85% | $25,757 | $63,664 | $58,397 |
|
University of La Verne
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
93 graduates
|
— | 48% | $20,161 | $62,278 | $56,925 |
|
Occidental College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
51 graduates
|
— | 40% | $38,263 | $84,800 | $56,800 |
|
University of Redlands
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
57 graduates
|
— | 81% | $30,031 | $76,630 | $55,739 |
|
Menlo College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
29 graduates
|
— | 68% | $31,100 | $72,020 | $52,942 |
|
Mount Saint Mary's University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General +3
63 graduates
|
— | 69% | $21,413 | $66,726 | $52,940 |
|
Fresno Pacific University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
33 graduates
|
— | 58% | $13,630 | $44,249 | $52,695 |
|
University of the Pacific
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
51 graduates
|
— | 95% | $25,447 | $71,515 | $52,612 |
|
Concordia University-Irvine
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General +1
34 graduates
|
— | 60% | $28,115 | $58,682 | $49,593 |
|
Biola University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General +1
91 graduates
|
— | 60% | $31,495 | $62,757 | $49,450 |
|
La Sierra University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
12 graduates
|
— | 93% | $45,566 | $51,459 | $49,265 |
|
Vanguard University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
74 graduates
|
— | 65% | $21,241 | $52,665 | $47,582 |
|
Point Loma Nazarene University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
62 graduates
|
— | 82% | $38,729 | $60,488 | $46,437 |
|
Westmont College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
25 graduates
|
— | 80% | $29,053 | $71,150 | $45,455 |
|
Ashford University
CA · Private for-profit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
443 graduates
|
— | — | $31,266 | — | — |
|
National University
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General +1
188 graduates
|
— | — | $22,878 | — | — |
|
University of Massachusetts Global
CA · Public
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
124 graduates
|
— | — | $32,654 | — | — |
|
Stanford University
CA · Private nonprofit · Required
|
Not reported by the college system |
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
53 graduates
|
— | 4% | $13,807 | $87,833 | — |
|
Simpson University
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
48 graduates
|
— | — | $27,817 | — | — |
|
Touro University Worldwide
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
47 graduates
|
— | — | $19,058 | — | — |
|
William Jessup University
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
46 graduates
|
— | — | $28,062 | — | — |
|
Los Angeles Pacific University
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Applied Psychology
44 graduates
|
— | — | $22,677 | — | — |
|
The Chicago School at Los Angeles
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
44 graduates
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
California Institute of Integral Studies
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
34 graduates
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
Scripps College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
32 graduates
|
— | 34% | $36,294 | $87,564 | — |
|
Hope International University
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
23 graduates
|
— | — | $29,310 | — | — |
|
Palo Alto University
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General +1
22 graduates
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
Claremont McKenna College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Experimental Psychology
20 graduates
|
— | 11% | $28,849 | $86,500 | — |
|
Pomona College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
19 graduates
|
— | 7% | $19,285 | $85,300 | — |
|
Pitzer College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
18 graduates
|
— | 17% | $34,191 | $86,466 | — |
|
Northcentral University
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
17 graduates
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
Antioch University-Santa Barbara
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
16 graduates
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
Golden Gate University
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
15 graduates
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
San Diego Christian College
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
14 graduates
|
— | — | $992 | — | — |
|
University of Antelope Valley
CA · Private for-profit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
13 graduates
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
University of Saint Katherine
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Applied Psychology
10 graduates
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
Pacific Oaks College
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Community Psychology
8 graduates
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
Pacific Union College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
7 graduates
|
— | 42% | $41,008 | $49,404 | — |
|
Woodbury University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
6 graduates
|
— | 73% | $33,692 | $58,010 | — |
|
University of the West
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
4 graduates
|
— | — | $6,845 | — | — |
|
Alliant International University-San Diego
CA · Private for-profit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
3 graduates
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
Sofia University
CA · Private for-profit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, Other
3 graduates
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
Notre Dame de Namur University
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
2 graduates
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
American Jewish University
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
1 graduate
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
The Chicago School at San Diego
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Psychology, General
1 graduate
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
University of Phoenix-California
CA · Private for-profit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Applied Psychology
1 graduate
|
— | — | — | — | — |
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/psychology?state=CA, then open each college profile it links to. Build a reach / match / likely list for a psychology 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 psychology list has to be built campus by campus and priced, because the major is offered almost everywhere and what changes from school to school is the odds of getting in and the bill. Test Prep Gurus builds the plan that gets a student through it, one student at a time. prepgurus.com · 949.229.5359