Best colleges for Biotechnology in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, University of California-Davis leads: its Biotechnology graduates earn a median $87,406 four years after finishing, against the field's $67,097 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Davis | $87,406 | +$20,309 |
| 2 | California State University-San Marcos | $76,622 | +$9,525 |
| 3 | California State University-Northridge | $73,542 | +$6,445 |
| 4 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | $73,152 | +$6,055 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Biotechnology programs?
$14,254 separates the top and bottom of this list — $87,406 at University of California-Davis against $73,152 at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Biotechnology graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $20,309 above the $67,097 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.