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2023 Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics in California

10 Ranked Colleges
61 Degrees Awarded
$40,000 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor's

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s” 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 California, there were 91 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 61 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,566 and $21,995 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in engineering and applied physics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular engineering and applied physics programs in the United States.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.

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.

Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s”.

1

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #1 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 18 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at UC Berkeley

2
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Biola University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s. Biola is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in La Mirada, California. It awarded 10 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 Biola

3
Westmont crest
Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Westmont College landed the #3 spot on the list. Westmont College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 Westmont

4
PLNU crest
Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, California

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #4 spot on the list. PLNU is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full Point Loma Nazarene University Engineering & Applied Physics Report

4
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Clara University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Santa Clara, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full SCU Engineering & Applied Physics Report

6

University of California - San Diego ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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 94%.

Full UCSD Engineering & Applied Physics Report

6
Whittier crest
Whittier College
Whittier, California

Whittier College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. Whittier is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Whittier, California. It awarded 4 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Whittier

8

California Institute of Technology came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. Caltech is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.

The impressive undergraduate 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full California Institute of Technology Engineering & Applied Physics Report

8
Pacific crest
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California

University of the Pacific ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. This medium-sized school is located in Stockton, California, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. 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 University of the Pacific Engineering & Applied Physics Report

10
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #10. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s applied physics degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Loyola Marymount University

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