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2023 Best Value Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

5 Ranked Colleges
97 Degrees Awarded
$18,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Engineering & Applied Physics is the 448th most popular major in the country with 994 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 97 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in engineering and applied physics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great engineering and applied physics programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the engineering and applied physics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

1

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #1 spot on the list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for Far Western US Region Applied Physics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Berkeley Engineering & Applied Physics Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,823 for Far Western US Region Applied Physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at UCSD

3
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Clara University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Santa Clara, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.

SCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $26,428 for far western us region applied physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SCU.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Santa Clara University Engineering & Applied Physics Report

4
Pacific crest
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of the Pacific. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Stockton, California, and it awarded 3 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pacific, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pacific is $22,792 for far western us region applied physics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Pacific Engineering & Applied Physics Report

5
PLNU crest
Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Point Loma Nazarene University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Point Loma Nazarene University is located in San Diego, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.

PLNU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $24,604 for Far Western US Region Applied Physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Point Loma Nazarene University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at PLNU

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