2026 Best Value Other Physical Science Schools in California
[Other Physical Science](/majors/physical-sciences/other-physical-sciences/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for other physical science students.
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2026 Best Value Other Physical Science Schools in California
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in other physical science, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Other Physical Science Schools
University Of California San Diego earned the #1 spot for value among other physical science schools in California. Set in the city of La Jolla, University Of California San Diego is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $15,788, with out-of-state students paying around $47,676. Typical student debt for other physical science graduates is $17,101. Other Physical Science graduates of University Of California San Diego earn a median of $60,797 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of California San Diego admits about 27% of applicants.
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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.
