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2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s

58 Ranked Colleges
1,225 Degrees Awarded
$38,153 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor's

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Physics is the 68th most popular major in the country with 13,674 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $42,960 and had an average of $22,756 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 3,224 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,268 and $18,506 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,225 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,566 and $21,995 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 58 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physics. To top this list, a school must have a successful physics program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s”.

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 151 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read full report on Physics at UCSB

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 129 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on Physics at University of California - Berkeley

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 93 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Irvine Physics Report

4

Out of the 58 schools in the Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 79 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Physics at University of California - Los Angeles

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 75 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 85%.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Physics Report

6

University of California - San Diego came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 94%.

Full UCSD Physics Report

6

University of California - Davis ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 56 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Davis Physics Report

8

University of California - Riverside landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 48 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at UCR

9

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #9. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Physics at CSULB

9

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #9. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 37 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

11
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University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full USC Physics Report

12
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

With a ranking of #12, Stanford University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Stanford Physics Report

12

California State University - Fullerton ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 28 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at Cal State Fullerton

14

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physics at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

15

California Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. California Institute of Technology is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 23 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Physics at Caltech

15

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.

Read full report on Physics at Sac State

17

University of California - Merced came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Merced Physics Report

17

With a ranking of #17, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.

Read more about Physics at California State University - Chico

19
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, California

Pomona College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #19. Pomona is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physics at Pomona

20

California State University - San Marcos landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. California State University - San Marcos is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at California State University - San Marcos

20

California State University - Northridge landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at California State University - Northridge

22
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #22. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at San Jose State University

22
SSU crest
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #22. This medium-sized school is located in Rohnert Park, California, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at Sonoma State University

24
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at San Francisco State University

24
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San Diego State University
San Diego, California

With a ranking of #24, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 SDSU Physics Report

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