Best Mathematics Programs in California (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Mathematics Colleges in California
This page ranks the 30 Mathematics programs in California by median earnings of Mathematics graduates four years after completing, highest first. University of California-Los Angeles ranks 1st on this list, reporting median earnings of $99,269 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $99,269 to $28,236, with a median of $67,042. For 2 of the 30 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions account for 26 of the 30 programs, or 87%, while 4 are private nonprofit. California State University-Los Angeles posts the lowest average net price on the page, at $3,967.
University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $99,269 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| University of California-Los Angeles ranks 1st on this list, reporting $99,269 in median earnings of Mathematics graduates four years after completing from a cohort of 193 graduates. | |||||
| 2 | Occidental College · Los Angeles, CA | $88,080 | $38,263 | $20,705 | 44.2% |
| A private nonprofit institution in Los Angeles, Occidental College posts an admission rate of 44% and median earnings of $88,080 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA | $85,391 | $16,109 | $9,231 | 33.0% |
| University of California-Santa Barbara reports $85,391 in median earnings of Mathematics graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $16,109. | |||||
| 4 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $83,187 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo reports median federal debt of $16,636 among Mathematics completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $83,187 four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA | $80,654 | $13,481 | $5,311 | 11.0% |
| University of California-Berkeley ranks 4th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports $80,654 in median earnings of Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | California State University-Fullerton · Fullerton, CA | $80,055 | $6,555 | $3,315 | 90.5% |
| With an admission rate of 91%, California State University-Fullerton reports median earnings of $80,055 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $79,015 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
| University of California-San Diego reports $79,015 in median earnings of Mathematics graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $7,525 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 8 | California State University-Chico · Chico, CA | $77,891 | $14,480 | $9,902 | 92.7% |
| California State University-Chico ranks 8th on this list, with median earnings of $77,891 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA | $77,472 | $14,251 | $8,123 | 28.6% |
| University of California-Irvine reports median federal debt of $16,950 among Mathematics completers who borrowed, and median earnings of $77,472 four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $72,640 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| An admission rate of 42% and median earnings of $72,640 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing are reported by University of California-Davis. | |||||
| 11 | San Francisco State University · San Francisco, CA | $71,323 | $12,278 | $9,341 | 96.4% |
| San Francisco State University reports $71,323 in median earnings of Mathematics graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $12,278. | |||||
| 12 | California State University-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $70,677 | $3,967 | $2,877 | 91.3% |
| California State University-Los Angeles reports $70,677 in median earnings of Mathematics graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $2,877 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 13 | California State University-Channel Islands · Camarillo, CA | $70,628 | $9,849 | $6,857 | 94.8% |
| Admitting 95% of applicants, California State University-Channel Islands reports median earnings of $70,628 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 14 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $69,377 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
| University of Southern California reports a median federal debt of $2,750 among Mathematics completers who borrowed and median earnings of $69,377 four years after completing. | |||||
| 15 | California State University-Dominguez Hills · Carson, CA | $68,900 | $8,615 | $7,303 | 93.3% |
| California State University-Dominguez Hills ranks 15th on this list, with median earnings of $68,900 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | California State University-Stanislaus · Turlock, CA | $65,184 | $6,067 | $3,938 | 98.1% |
| With an admission rate of 98%, California State University-Stanislaus posts median earnings of $65,184 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 17 | Sonoma State University · Rohnert Park, CA | $64,913 | $12,885 | $8,310 | 93.4% |
| Sonoma State University reports an average net price of $8,310 for families earning under $30,000 and median earnings of $64,913 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 18 | California State University-Bakersfield · Bakersfield, CA | $64,470 | $5,652 | $3,536 | 93.9% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $16,600 in federal loans at California State University-Bakersfield, where Mathematics completers earn $64,470 four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | University of California-Riverside · Riverside, CA | $63,596 | $14,304 | $8,852 | 76.4% |
| University of California-Riverside ranks 31st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $63,596 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 20 | California State University-Northridge · Northridge, CA | $63,077 | $7,021 | $4,905 | 93.5% |
| California State University-Northridge reports an average net price of $7,021 and a median federal debt of $11,000 among Mathematics completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 21 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $63,059 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| Admitting 75% of applicants, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona reports median earnings of $63,059 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | California State University-Monterey Bay · Seaside, CA | $62,943 | $13,663 | $9,970 | 97.4% |
| California State University-Monterey Bay ranks 22nd on this list with median earnings of $62,943 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 23 | California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA | $61,754 | $10,440 | $7,183 | 46.3% |
| An average net price of $7,183 for families earning under $30,000 is reported by California State University-Long Beach, which ranks 5th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 24 | University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA | $59,214 | $17,890 | $8,717 | 65.8% |
| University of California-Santa Cruz reports median earnings of $59,214 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing and a median federal debt of $19,050 among Mathematics completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 25 | California State University-Sacramento · Sacramento, CA | $59,162 | $9,338 | $6,501 | 94.0% |
| California State University-Sacramento reports median earnings of $59,162 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing, with 73 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 26 | San Diego State University · San Diego, CA | $57,999 | $15,364 | $9,910 | 36.2% |
| A public university in San Diego, San Diego State University admits 36% of applicants and posts median earnings of $57,999 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 27 | California State University-San Bernardino · San Bernardino, CA | $57,603 | $4,564 | $2,681 | 93.7% |
| California State University-San Bernardino carries an average net price of $4,564, and its Mathematics graduates four years after completing earn a median of $57,603. | |||||
| 28 | California State University-Fresno · Fresno, CA | $55,664 | $7,000 | $5,105 | 95.3% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $14,505 in federal loans at California State University-Fresno, where Mathematics graduates four years after completing earn a median of $55,664. | |||||
| 29 | Chapman University · Orange, CA | $35,060 | $46,555 | $33,559 | 65.4% |
| Chapman University, a private nonprofit institution in Orange, ranks 920th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $35,060 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 30 | University of Redlands · Redlands, CA | $28,236 | $30,031 | $28,287 | 82.7% |
| University of Redlands has an admission rate of 83% and an average net price of $30,031, alongside median earnings of $28,236 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Mathematics graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in California appear. The figure is the median for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 2 of the 30 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between University of California-Los Angeles and Occidental College is $11,189, and the spread from the top of the list to the bottom reaches $71,033.
Job market context in California
Mathematics graduates in California enter a labor market that links to occupations such as Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education, Data Scientists, and other quantitative roles. The median annual wage across those occupations is $117,868, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $89,411. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 10.2% higher, with 11,210 projected openings a year, or about 406 openings a year for every hundred graduates, which is more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses the median earnings of graduates four years after completing, not the occupational wages shown here.
Related rankings
- Best Mathematics Programs in the United States
- Best Colleges in California
- Best Mathematics Programs in Pennsylvania
- Best Mathematics Colleges in California
- Mathematics Colleges in California for Social Mobility