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2024 Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Physics in California

22 Colleges
743,175 Bachelor's Degrees
$32,905 Avg Cost*

Finding the Best Value Physics School for You

Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Physics in CaliforniaIn 2021-2022, 743,175 bachelor's degrees were awarded to physics students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #50 most popular major in the state. This means that colleges and universities in the state were responsible for awarding 13.7% of all the physics bachelor's degrees in the country.

This year's Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Physics in California ranking analyzed 22 colleges that offered a bachelor's degree in physics. To us, 'best value' doesn't just mean the school with the lowest overall costs. For this ranking, we are identifying those physics schools that provide their students with a hiqh quality education at a price that is lower than other colleges and universities of the same caliber.

To determine the average cost, we look at total expenses - such as tuition, fees, room and board, books, and other related expenses - and then subtract the average financial award a student receives. Knowing this amount can help you determine how much you may have to borrow in loans or take out of savings. Depending on your income and other factors, the cost for you to attend a particular school may be more or less.

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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 the Best Value Physics Schools.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

2024 Best Value Physics Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for the money for physics majors.

Top 10 Best Value Physics Schools

1

University of California - Los Angeles comes in at #1 in this year's ranking. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles. UCLA also took the #2 spot in our Best Physics Schools in California rankings.

It takes about 4.2 years for the average student at UCLA to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $39,579. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the UCLA is $164,253. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.

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2

California State University - Long Beach landed the #2 spot in our 2024 rankings for best value physics schools. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the city of Long Beach.

The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at CSULB is 4.8 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $23,555. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from CSULB is $112,593. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.

Read full report on Physics at California State University - Long Beach

3

The #3 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of California - San Diego. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a fairly large student population. UCSD also took the #5 spot in our Best Physics Schools in California rankings.

The average student at UCSD graduates in less than 4.3 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $39,251. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from UCSD is $168,387. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.

Full Physics at University of California - San Diego Report

4

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #4 spot in our 2024 rankings for best value physics schools. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara. In addition to being on our best value list, UCSB has also earned the #3 rank in our Best Physics Schools in California ranking.

It takes about 4.2 years for the average student at UCSB to complete their degree, and the average full-time cost to attend the school is around $39,676. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from UCSB be around $167,433. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.

Read full report on Physics at University of California - Santa Barbara

5

University of California - Irvine earned the #5 spot in our 2024 rankings. UC Irvine is a fairly large public school located in the city of Irvine. UC Irvine did well in our quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our Best Physics Schools in California list.

The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UC Irvine is 4.2 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $39,344. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine is $165,245. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.

Full Physics at University of California - Irvine Report

6

Our rankings recognize University of California - Berkeley as the #6 school in this year's rankings. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley. As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #4 rank in our Best Physics Schools in California ranking.

At UC Berkeley, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.2 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $44,222. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley is $186,175. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.

Full Physics at University of California - Berkeley Report

7

University of California - Davis comes in at #7 in this year's ranking. UC Davis is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Davis. UC Davis also took the #8 spot in our Best Physics Schools in California rankings.

It takes about 4.3 years for the average student at UC Davis to complete their degree, and the average full-time cost to attend the school is around $41,225. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis be around $177,268. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.

Read full report on Physics at University of California - Davis

8

San Diego State University earned the #8 spot in our 2024 rankings. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at SDSU is 4.6 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $30,447. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the SDSU is $138,534. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.

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9

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #9 spot in our 2024 rankings for best value physics schools. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

It takes about 4.4 years for the average student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $33,869. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $150,040. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.

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10

California State University - Northridge earned the #10 spot in our 2024 rankings. Located in the large city of Northridge, CSUN is a public school with a fairly large student population.

At CSUN, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.9 years, and it costs about $21,912 per year to attend the school. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from CSUN is $108,245. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.

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Best Physics Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Physics Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

StateDegrees Awarded
Washington318
Oregon123
Nevada37
Hawaii7
Alaska3

Physics is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 22 schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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