Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Engineering & Applied Physics

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics in California

6 Ranked Colleges
50 Degrees Awarded
$27,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor's 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 “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Engineering & Applied Physics is the 440th most popular major in the country with 941 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 124 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 50 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer a degree in engineering and applied physics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent engineering and applied physics programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the engineering and applied physics program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Engineering & Applied Physics Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree applied physics students.

Top 6 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics in California

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #1 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree applied physics students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at UC Berkeley

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree applied physics students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at UCSD

#3

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of the Pacific. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stockton, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pacific also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Pacific is $28,929 for california bachelor’s degree applied physics students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Pacific

#4

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola Marymount University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s applied physics students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Marymount, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Marymount University is $42,861 for california bachelor’s degree applied physics students.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Loyola Marymount University

#5

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Santa Clara University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Clara, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SCU also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Santa Clara University is $38,327 for California Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at SCU

#6

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#1 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s applied physics students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree applied physics students list, Caltech has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Caltech is $24,274 for california bachelor’s degree applied physics students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low 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 full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at California Institute of Technology

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to NASA.

Featured Engineering Schools

Find Schools Near You