Federal data
Highest earning biology programs in California
California biology programs, ranked by median earnings one year after completion, from the College Scorecard field-of-study file (September 18, 2026). Only programs with at least 30 counted graduates in the earnings sample are shown, and at least 5 programs must qualify for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 1 year after | Graduates counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of San Diego | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $54,223 | 38 |
| 2 | Northeastern University | Oakland | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $45,494 | 112 |
| 3 | California State University-East Bay | Hayward | Public, 4-year | $44,370 | 97 |
| 4 | California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos | Public, 4-year | $38,527 | 59 |
| 5 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $38,423 | 57 |
| 6 | California State University-Channel Islands | Camarillo | Public, 4-year | $38,344 | 147 |
| 7 | University of California-Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | Public, 4-year | $37,651 | 172 |
| 8 | California State University-Sacramento | Sacramento | Public, 4-year | $37,192 | 222 |
| 9 | California State University-Chico | Chico | Public, 4-year | $37,120 | 41 |
| 10 | University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley | Public, 4-year | $36,642 | 139 |
| 11 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $36,270 | 37 |
| 12 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public, 4-year | $36,259 | 72 |
| 13 | University of California-Merced | Merced | Public, 4-year | $36,140 | 261 |
| 14 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo | Public, 4-year | $35,638 | 129 |
| 15 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | Pomona | Public, 4-year | $35,334 | 176 |
| 16 | California State University-Monterey Bay | Seaside | Public, 4-year | $35,312 | 108 |
| 17 | University of California-Davis | Davis | Public, 4-year | $35,241 | 223 |
| 18 | California State University-Long Beach | Long Beach | Public, 4-year | $35,053 | 145 |
| 19 | Point Loma Nazarene University | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $34,943 | 36 |
| 20 | University of California-San Diego | La Jolla | Public, 4-year | $34,504 | 505 |
| 21 | California State University-Stanislaus | Turlock | Public, 4-year | $34,358 | 115 |
| 22 | Sonoma State University | Rohnert Park | Public, 4-year | $34,074 | 61 |
| 23 | San Diego State University | San Diego | Public, 4-year | $33,597 | 218 |
| 24 | University of California-Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | Public, 4-year | $33,486 | 194 |
| 25 | California State University-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public, 4-year | $33,304 | 137 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard.
How to read this. A smaller program can show a high or low figure from just a few graduates, and this earnings figure only ever covers students who received federal aid, so it does not describe every graduate.
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