Federal data
Highest earning psychology programs in California
California psychology 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 Massachusetts Global | Aliso Viejo | Public, 4-year | $40,726 | 54 |
| 2 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $38,587 | 62 |
| 3 | Ashford University | San Diego | For-profit, 4-year | $38,524 | 432 |
| 4 | National University | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $38,523 | 108 |
| 5 | California State University-East Bay | Hayward | Public, 4-year | $37,702 | 260 |
| 6 | Simpson University | Redding | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $37,451 | 41 |
| 7 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $36,734 | 101 |
| 8 | University of San Diego | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $35,595 | 57 |
| 9 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public, 4-year | $34,803 | 375 |
| 10 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $34,139 | 77 |
| 11 | California Baptist University | Riverside | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $33,043 | 105 |
| 12 | Sonoma State University | Rohnert Park | Public, 4-year | $33,006 | 196 |
| 13 | California State University-Channel Islands | Camarillo | Public, 4-year | $32,706 | 331 |
| 14 | California State University-Sacramento | Sacramento | Public, 4-year | $32,603 | 509 |
| 15 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $32,435 | 54 |
| 16 | William Jessup University | Rocklin | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $31,905 | 62 |
| 17 | California State University-Chico | Chico | Public, 4-year | $31,827 | 341 |
| 18 | California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos | Public, 4-year | $31,355 | 264 |
| 19 | California Lutheran University | Thousand Oaks | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $30,918 | 97 |
| 20 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $30,848 | 86 |
| 21 | University of California-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public, 4-year | $30,614 | 452 |
| 22 | California State University-Dominguez Hills | Carson | Public, 4-year | $29,727 | 502 |
| 23 | San Diego State University | San Diego | Public, 4-year | $29,346 | 466 |
| 24 | California State University-Monterey Bay | Seaside | Public, 4-year | $29,168 | 239 |
| 25 | University of California-San Diego | La Jolla | Public, 4-year | $29,144 | 181 |
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.
Keep going