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2026 Best Value Medical Scientist Schools in California

[Medical Scientist](/majors/health-care-professions/medical-science/medical-scientist/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools to find the best return on investment for medical scientist students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Medical Scientist Schools in California

2026 Best Value Medical Scientist Schools in California

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the medical scientist degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Medical Scientist Schools

1

University Of California San Diego
La Jolla, CA

$15,788 In-State Tuition & Fees

$17,101 Avg Student Debt

$84,943 Median Earnings (10yr)

Leading the list is University Of California San Diego, our #1 best value for medical scientist in California. Located in the city of La Jolla, University Of California San Diego is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $15,788, with out-of-state students paying around $47,676. Students borrow a median of $17,101 to complete the medical scientist program here. Medical Scientist graduates of University Of California San Diego earn a median of $121,264 early in their careers. Set against $17,101 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 27%.

2

University Of California Irvine
Irvine, CA

$14,752 In-State Tuition & Fees

$16,539 Avg Student Debt

$80,735 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in medical scientist will find it at University Of California Irvine, which ranked #2. University Of California Irvine is a very large public school located in the city of Irvine. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $14,752, compared with $46,640 for out-of-state students. Medical Scientist graduates carry a median of $16,539 in student loans. Early-career medical scientist graduates make about $50,958. That is a strong return on a $16,539 median debt. The acceptance rate is 29%.

View All Medical Scientist Rankings >

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 7 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.