Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $48-$75k) in California

11 Ranked Colleges
245 Degrees Awarded
$35,100 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 14,123 people earned their degree in physics, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $42,475 and had an average of $22,421 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 3,131 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,486 and $19,317 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 245 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent physics programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the physics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k

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

Top 11 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 57 doctorate’s physics degrees to qualified students.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Physics at Stanford University

#2

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree physics students whose families make $48-$75k list, Caltech has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of Technology are $56,649, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Caltech Physics Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 45 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #4 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Physics at UC Berkeley

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #4 spot on the list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physics degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - San Diego are $28,631, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of California - San Diego Physics Report

#5

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #6 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Physics at University of California - Los Angeles

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 15 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCR are $28,686, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Physics at UCR

#7

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 20 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Physics at University of California - Santa Barbara

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 doctorate’s physics degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UC Davis Physics Report

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 13 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physics at University of California - Irvine

#11 in overall quality

University of California - Merced came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Merced is a public institution located in Merced, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Merced, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Merced are $43,854, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Physics at UC Merced

#11

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Santa Cruz are $28,952.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Physics Report

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

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You