2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s
19
Ranked Colleges
1,225
Degrees Awarded
$38,153
Avg Salary
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 19 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physics programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the physics program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Physics Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree vets studying physics.
Top 19 Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 56 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying physics list, UCSD has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 112 of the 39,576 students enrolled at UCSD were GI Bill® students, of which 54 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $1,596. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of California - San Diego]](/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 79 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying physics list, UCLA has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 7 of the 44,589 students enrolled at University of California - Los Angeles were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,071. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at University of California - Los Angeles]](/colleges/university-of-california-los-angeles/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 93 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6.Our most recent data shows that 8 of the 36,303 students enrolled at UC Irvine were GI Bill® students, of which 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,620. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of California - Irvine]](/colleges/university-of-california-irvine/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Our most recent data shows that 188 of the 15,953 students enrolled at Stanford University were GI Bill® students, of which 118 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,909. On top of their other funding sources, 61 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Stanford University]](/colleges/stanford-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.
SDSU also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13.Among the 36,334 students enrolled at San Diego State University, 1,433 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 853 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,806. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full SDSU Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #6. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 37 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying physics list, CSULB has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, California State University - Long Beach supports 40,069 students, and 822 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 310 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,845. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Long Beach does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at CSULB]](/colleges/california-state-university-long-beach/student-life/veterans/)
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 151 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying physics list, UCSB has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, UCSB supports 26,179 students, and 286 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 128 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,510. In addition to receiving other benefits, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UCSB does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s list. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying physics list, UCR has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, UCR supports 26,434 students, and 11 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 5 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,182. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 91%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UCR]](/colleges/university-of-california-riverside/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #9, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 56 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of California - Davis supports 39,074 students, and 31 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 23 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,489. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UC Davis]](/colleges/university-of-california-davis/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #10, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school handed out 75 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Of the 19,161 students enrolled at University of California - Santa Cruz, 273 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 114 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,631. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly Pomona also took the #16 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 34 of the 30,014 students enrolled at Cal Poly Pomona were GI Bill® students, of which 17 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,486. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Cal Poly Pomona Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Fullerton came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 28 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15.According to our most recent data, California State University - Fullerton supports 42,051 students, and 748 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 342 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,729. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #13. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying physics list, CSUN has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, CSUN supports 40,381 students, and 680 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 336 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,745. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full CSUN Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #14. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 23 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, Sac State supports 32,293 students, and 34 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 23 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,555. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Of the 22,440 students enrolled at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 268 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 128 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,027. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
Humboldt State University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s ranking. Arcata, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
Humboldt State University also took the #20 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, Humboldt State University supports 6,612 students, and 177 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 68 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,772. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Humboldt State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Humboldt State University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #17, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s list. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.
CSUSB also took the #19 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, California State University - San Bernardino supports 19,689 students, and 400 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 170 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,274. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full CSUSB Veteran Student Life Report
California Institute of Technology came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s ranking. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 23 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 4 of the 2,240 students enrolled at California Institute of Technology were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $67,154. In addition to receiving other benefits, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read More…
With a ranking of #19, University of California - Merced did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Physics for a Bachelor’s list. This medium-sized school is located in Merced, California, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying physics list, UC Merced has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 87 of the 9,018 students enrolled at University of California - Merced were GI Bill® students, of which 21 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,314. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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
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