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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Physics in California

147 Ranked Colleges
3,224 Degrees Awarded
$37,200 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Physics is the 68th most popular major in the country with 13,674 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $42,960 and had an average of $22,756 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 3,224 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,268 and $18,506 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California” ranking analyzed 147 colleges that offered a degree in physics. That schools that top this list have a program in physics in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The physics school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california physics students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Physics in California

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California. California Institute of Technology is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 52 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full California Institute of Technology Physics Report

2
Harvey Mudd College crest
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California

Out of the 147 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvey Mudd College landed the #2 spot on the list. Harvey Mudd College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 11 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Physics at Harvey Mudd College

3
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Pomona College
Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pomona College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 15 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Physics at Pomona College

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 199 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UCSB Physics Report

5
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College of San Mateo
San Mateo, California

Out of the 147 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, College of San Mateo landed the #5 spot on the list. College of San Mateo is a public institution located in San Mateo, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Physics at CSM

6
Napa Valley College crest
Napa Valley College
Napa, California

Napa Valley College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. This small school is located in Napa, California, and it awarded 24 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Napa Valley College Physics Report

7
Irvine Valley College crest
Irvine Valley College
Irvine, California

With a ranking of #7, Irvine Valley College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 81 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Physics at Irvine Valley College

8
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 85 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Stanford Physics Report

9
Cuyamaca College crest
Cuyamaca College
El Cajon, California

Cuyamaca College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking, coming in at #9. Located in El Cajon, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 19 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Physics at Cuyamaca College

10
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Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

Occidental College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Occidental College Physics Report

11

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 95 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Santa Cruz Physics Report

12
Scripps crest
Scripps College
Claremont, California

Scripps College landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at Scripps

13
GCC crest
Glendale Community College
Glendale, California

Glendale Community College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking, coming in at #13. GCC is located in Glendale, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full GCC Physics Report

14
Skyline College crest
Skyline College
San Bruno, California

Skyline College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. Skyline College is a medium-sized public school situated in San Bruno, California. It awarded 18 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at Skyline College

15
Norco College crest
Norco College
Norco, California

Norco College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking. Norco, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 34 students in 2020-2021.

Full Norco College Physics Report

16
Claremont McKenna crest
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California

Claremont McKenna College ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. Claremont McKenna College is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Physics at Claremont McKenna

17

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 197 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UC Berkeley Physics Report

18
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Moorpark College
Moorpark, California

With a ranking of #18, Moorpark College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Moorpark, California, and it awarded 69 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Moorpark College Physics Report

19
Pitzer crest
Pitzer College
Claremont, California

With a ranking of #19, Pitzer College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 3 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at Pitzer College

20

University of California - Merced landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 26 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full UC Merced Physics Report

21
Laney College crest
Laney College
Oakland, California

Laney College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking. Laney College is a medium-sized public school situated in Oakland, California. It awarded 12 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Physics at Laney College

22
Pasadena City College crest
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, California

Pasadena City College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking. Pasadena, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 100 students in 2020-2021.

Full Pasadena City College Physics Report

23
El Camino College crest
El Camino College
Torrance, California

With a ranking of #23, El Camino College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. Located in Torrance, California, this fairly large public school awarded 44 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Physics at El Camino College

24
Columbia Junior College crest
Columbia College
Sonora, California

Columbia College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. Columbia College is located in Sonora, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Physics at Columbia College

24
Monterey Peninsula College crest
Monterey Peninsula College
Monterey, California

With a ranking of #24, Monterey Peninsula College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. Monterey Peninsula College is a medium-sized public school situated in Monterey, California. It awarded 16 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Monterey Peninsula College Physics Report

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