By major · Public Health
Where can your student actually get into public health?
Public health carries a few different names in California, and the odds behind them change sharply from one campus to the next. For Fall 2025, 3,415 first-year applicants named public health at UC Berkeley and 74 were admitted, a rate of 2%, while Cal State San Bernardino admitted 382 of the 394 freshmen who applied to its public health major, or 97.0%. A UC figure here tells you how selective that campus was for the students who named public health, not that the major itself was the gate, and one Cal State reports public health on the transfer side only. Every number below is the college system's own reporting, gathered in one place.
At a glance · California
- 34 colleges in California offer a bachelor's public health program: 27 awarded the degree in 2022-23 (federal IPEDS completions); 5 more report a public health admit rate in the UC/CSU data; 2 more carry program earnings in federal outcome data but no 2022-23 degree count under these program codes.
- Largest programs by graduates in 2022-23: University of California-Irvine (392), California State University-Fullerton (358), University of California-San Diego (304).
- Hardest reported gate into the program (only the UC and the CSU publish one): University of California-Berkeley — Public Health, Fall 2025: 3,415 applied, 74 admitted (2%).
- Highest reported admit rate into the program: California State University-San Bernardino — 97.0% (394 applied, 382 admitted, Fall 2025).
- 1 CSU campus report public health on the transfer side only: freshmen enter as pre-health and apply into the program later.
- Highest median earnings four years after the degree: University of Southern California, $89,522.
- Lowest average net price with aid: California State University-Los Angeles, $3,967 per year.
A college with no first-year row here is not an easier one. Fresno State reports public health on the transfer side only, so a freshman there enters as pre-health and applies into the program later, and the private colleges on this page report no admit rate by major at all, which leaves the campus rate and the department's own requirements to ask about. Admits are not enrollees. At most UC programs students are admitted to the campus, not the major. This page as JSON → · All 455 colleges nationwide →
Hardest reported gate
Public Health, Fall 2025: 3,415 applied, 74 admitted
Highest reported admit rate
Public Health, Fall 2025: 394 applied, 382 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
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 3,415 applied, 74 admitted · admit GPA 4.16–4.29
|
Public Health, General
185 graduates
|
2% | 10% | $13,481 | $45,619 | $76,572 |
|
University of California-San Diego
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 1,760 applied, 305 admitted · admit GPA 4.08–4.26
Global Health: 45%
|
International Public Health/International Health +3
304 graduates
|
17% | 27% | $12,470 | $38,701 | $66,110 |
|
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 1,519 applied, 471 admitted
impacted
|
Public Health, General
61 graduates
|
31.0% | 30% | $16,665 | $32,265 | — |
|
University of California-Irvine
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health Sciences
Fall 2025: 2,645 applied, 945 admitted · admit GPA 4.09–4.26
Public Health Policy: 41%
|
Public Health, Other
392 graduates
|
36% | 30% | $14,251 | $38,632 | $60,430 |
|
San Diego State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 1,983 applied, 721 admitted
impacted
|
Public Health, General
168 graduates
|
36.4% | 34% | $15,364 | $27,780 | $60,904 |
|
California State University-Long Beach
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 1,150 applied, 600 admitted
impacted
|
— | 52.2% | 47% | $10,440 | $22,679 | $57,296 |
|
University of California-Santa Cruz
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Global And Community Health
Fall 2025: 1,343 applied, 998 admitted · admit GPA 3.82–4.17
|
— | 74% | 82% | $17,890 | $41,179 | — |
|
California State University-Bakersfield
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 290 applied, 231 admitted
|
Public Health, General
1 graduate
|
79.7% | 88% | $5,652 | $19,522 | — |
|
San Jose State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 996 applied, 882 admitted
impacted
Public Health Promotion: 88.5%
|
Public Health, General
209 graduates
|
88.6% | 80% | $13,760 | $26,593 | — |
|
California State University-Fresno
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 191 applied, 171 admitted
transfer path only · freshmen enter as pre-health
|
— | 89.5% | 96% | $7,000 | $20,095 | $51,693 |
|
California State University-East Bay
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 212 applied, 190 admitted
|
Public Health, General
54 graduates
|
89.6% | 97% | $9,320 | $22,850 | — |
|
California State University-Chico
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 269 applied, 242 admitted
|
Public Health, General
89 graduates
|
90.0% | 94% | $14,480 | $26,283 | — |
|
San Francisco State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 670 applied, 604 admitted
|
Public Health, General
83 graduates
|
90.1% | 96% | $12,278 | $26,488 | — |
|
California State University-Northridge
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 797 applied, 737 admitted
|
Public Health, General +1
275 graduates
|
92.5% | 93% | $7,021 | $20,485 | $55,989 |
|
California State University-Sacramento
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 440 applied, 412 admitted
|
Public Health, General
171 graduates
|
93.6% | 94% | $9,338 | $22,945 | — |
|
California State University-Fullerton
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 2,684 applied, 2,515 admitted
impacted
|
Public Health, General
358 graduates
|
93.7% | 87% | $6,555 | $18,269 | — |
|
University of California-Merced
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 2,452 applied, 2,313 admitted · admit GPA 3.45–4.08
|
Public Health, General
106 graduates
|
94% | 95% | $11,983 | $39,665 | $56,393 |
|
University of California-Riverside
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Global And Community Health
Fall 2025: 874 applied, 828 admitted · admit GPA 3.46–4.12
|
— | 95% | 88% | $14,304 | $38,942 | — |
|
California State University-Los Angeles
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 1,053 applied, 1,001 admitted
|
Public Health, General
161 graduates
|
95.1% | 92% | $3,967 | $18,403 | $56,466 |
|
California State University-Stanislaus
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health Promotion
Fall 2025: 209 applied, 199 admitted
|
Public Health Education and Promotion
43 graduates
|
95.2% | 98% | $6,067 | $19,739 | — |
|
California State University-San Marcos
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health Education and Promotion
Fall 2025: 1,089 applied, 1,049 admitted
|
— | 96.3% | 96% | $10,229 | $21,649 | — |
|
California State University-San Bernardino
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Public Health
Fall 2025: 394 applied, 382 admitted
Public Health Promotion: 98.1%
|
Public Health, General +1
61 graduates
|
97.0% | 98% | $4,564 | $17,427 | $65,961 |
|
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Behavioral Aspects of Health +1
109 graduates
|
— | 10% | $32,740 | $90,300 | $89,522 |
|
California Baptist University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Public Health, General
38 graduates
|
— | 74% | $26,285 | $54,038 | $77,329 |
|
Chapman University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | — | 56% | $46,555 | $83,146 | $72,529 |
|
University of the People
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Public Health, General
96 graduates
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
National University
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Community Health and Preventive Medicine
53 graduates
|
— | — | $22,878 | — | — |
|
Santa Clara University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Public Health, General
43 graduates
|
— | 44% | $50,062 | $82,026 | — |
|
Dominican University of California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Public Health Education and Promotion
14 graduates
|
— | 96% | $35,333 | $71,751 | — |
|
La Sierra University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Public Health, General +1
8 graduates
|
— | 93% | $45,566 | $51,459 | — |
|
Biola University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Public Health Education and Promotion
5 graduates
|
— | 60% | $31,495 | $62,757 | — |
|
Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science
CA · Private nonprofit
|
Not reported by the college system |
Public Health, General
4 graduates
|
— | — | $35,558 | — | — |
|
Pitzer College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Public Health, General +1
2 graduates
|
— | 17% | $34,191 | $86,466 | — |
|
California State University-Monterey Bay
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Not reported by the college system | — | — | 95% | $13,663 | $26,987 | — |
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/public-health?state=CA, then open each college profile it links to. Build a reach / match / likely list for a public health 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 pre-health, 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
The list is where the work starts
A public health list needs campuses from both ends of that reported range, with the net price and the earnings written next to each name, because San Diego State admitted 36.4% of the freshmen who applied to public health and Cal State San Bernardino admitted 97.0%. Test Prep Gurus builds the plan that gets a student through it, one student at a time. prepgurus.com · 949.229.5359