2026 Best General Physical Sciences Schools in California
General Physical Sciences programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 40 schools to find the best for general physical sciences students.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for General Physical Sciences in California
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the general physical sciences degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in General Physical Sciences
Leading the list is University Of California Santa Cruz, our #1 school for general physical sciences. This very large public university is located in the city of Santa Cruz. About 75% of students finish within six years. University Of California Santa Cruz awarded about 65 general physical sciences degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the general physical sciences program make about $40,920 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $18,559.
Read more about the general physical sciences program at University Of California Santa Cruz
A rank of #2 makes American River College one of the top schools for general physical sciences. This very large public university is located in the suburb of Sacramento. American River College awarded about 116 general physical sciences degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the general physical sciences program make about $76,077 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $14,105.
Read more about the general physical sciences program at American River College
El Camino Community College District is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in general physical sciences, landing the #3 spot this year. El Camino Community College District is a very large public school located in the suburb of Torrance. There were roughly 86 general physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at El Camino Community College District in the most recent data year.
Get the full general physical sciences details for El Camino Community College District
Long Beach City College is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in general physical sciences, ranking #4. Located in the city of Long Beach, Long Beach City College is a very large public university. Long Beach City College awarded about 46 general physical sciences degrees in the most recent data year. Long Beach City College graduates carry a median of $6,000 in student loans.
See the full general physical sciences program report for Long Beach City College
Chaffey College came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best general physical sciences schools. This very large public university is located in the suburb of Rancho Cucamonga. About 16 general physical sciences degrees were awarded at Chaffey College in the most recent year. Graduates of the general physical sciences program make about $23,532 in their early career. Chaffey College graduates carry a median of $6,952 in student loans.
Get the full general physical sciences details for Chaffey College
More General Physical Sciences Rankings
View All General Physical Sciences Rankings >
Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 40 schools evaluated.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
