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

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Physical Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

General Physical Sciences is the 135th most popular major in the country with 4,159 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, general physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $25,050 and had an average of $13,137 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 389 general physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 25 general physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in general physical sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general physical 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 general physical sciences program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank General Physical Sciences Schools

The physical science 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 Physical Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 Physical Science 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 physical science students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

#1

California State University - Fresno

Fresno, California

#2 in overall quality

$7,549 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical science students in 2019-2020.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $7,549 for california bachelor’s degree physical science students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Fresno State General Physical Sciences Report

#2

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

#1 in overall quality

$15,253 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $15,253 for california bachelor’s degree physical science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Santa Cruz General Physical Sciences Report

#3

California State University - Stanislaus

Turlock, California

#3 in overall quality

$7,772 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Stanislaus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physical Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s physical science degrees in 2019-2020.

Stan State also made our “Best General Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $7,772 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on General Physical Sciences at California State University - Stanislaus

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

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