Best colleges for Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, University of California-Santa Barbara leads: its Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology graduates earn a median $90,694 four years after finishing, against the field's $65,466 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Santa Barbara | $90,694 | +$25,228 |
| 2 | University of California-Santa Cruz | $88,305 | +$22,839 |
| 3 | University of San Diego | $83,380 | +$17,914 |
| 4 | California State University-Long Beach | $79,820 | +$14,354 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Biochemistry programs?
$10,874 separates the top and bottom of this list — $90,694 at University of California-Santa Barbara against $79,820 at California State University-Long Beach, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Biochemistry graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $25,228 above the $65,466 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.