2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Natural Sciences is the 209th most popular major in the country with 2,345 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, natural sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $30,257 and had an average of $22,289 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 84 natural sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $25,000 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in natural sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent natural sciences 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 natural sciences program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The natural sciences 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 “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.

Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

California State University - Chico

Chico, California

#3 in overall quality

$10,260 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Chico landed the #1 spot on the list. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s natural sciences degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $10,260 for California Bachelor’s Degree Natural Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Chico State Natural Sciences Report

#2

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$32,367 Average Net Price

$33,459 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Loyola Marymount University landed the #2 spot on the list. Loyola Marymount University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 46 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Marymount also made our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Marymount is $32,367 for california bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The 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 low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.

Full Loyola Marymount Natural Sciences Report

#3

Pepperdine University

Malibu, California

#2 in overall quality

$31,185 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pepperdine University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Pepperdine University is located in Malibu, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.

Pepperdine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Pepperdine is $31,185 for california bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.

Full Pepperdine Natural Sciences Report

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $0-$30k)

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.

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