2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 2,345 people earned their degree in natural sciences, making the major the 339th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 84 natural sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 83 natural sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in natural sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great natural sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the natural sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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 Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

California State University - Chico

Chico, California

#3 in overall quality

$16,116 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Chico landed the #1 spot on the list. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.

Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $16,116 for california bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Natural Sciences at Chico State

#2

Pepperdine University

Malibu, California

#2 in overall quality

$31,918 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pepperdine University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Malibu, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s natural sciences students in 2019-2020.

Pepperdine also took the #2 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $31,918 for california bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Pepperdine University.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Pepperdine University Natural Sciences Report

#3

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$34,284 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Loyola Marymount University landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Marymount not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Marymount University is $34,284 for california bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. 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.

Full Loyola Marymount Natural Sciences Report

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $48-$75k)

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 Agsftw.

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >