Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Physical Sciences

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region

49 Ranked Colleges
5,569 Degrees Awarded
$34,378 Avg Salary
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

Physical Sciences is the 18th most popular major in the country with 52,879 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $38,122 and had an average of $22,339 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 11,783 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,974 and $20,331 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,569 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 49 colleges that offer a degree in physical sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent physical sciences 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 physical sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The physical sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, Stanford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,959 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, 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. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Stanford

#2

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech also took the #1 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of Technology is $8,042 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 94%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Caltech Physical Sciences Report

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 459 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $9,694 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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.

Read more about Physical Sciences at UW Seattle

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 377 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $13,081 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Physical Sciences Report

#5

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #5 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 188 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $13,081 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 98 students in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #19 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $9,427 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Cal State Fullerton

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 50 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $5,644 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Cal State LA

#8

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 330 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $15,343 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UCSB.

The school has an impressive 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCSB Physical Sciences Report

#13 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 105 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCR has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $12,290 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, 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 91%.

Full UCR Physical Sciences Report

#8 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 255 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $13,648 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 Physical Sciences at UC Irvine

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Davis came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 148 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $13,578 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Davis.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Davis Physical Sciences Report

#22 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 97 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $10,807 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSULB.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at CSULB

With a ranking of #13, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $7,564 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Physical Sciences at California State University - Bakersfield

#9 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 366 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,071 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - San Diego

#15

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#11 in overall quality

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 140 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,730 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend SDSU.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at SDSU

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 74 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $11,413 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Sac State

With a ranking of #17, University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a public institution located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,470 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas.

Read more about Physical Sciences at UNLV

#18

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #18, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $8,924 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full CSUSB Physical Sciences Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,907 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSUDH.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUDH Physical Sciences Report

#18 in overall quality

California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. CSUSM is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSM also took the #18 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUSM is $14,582 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at CSUSM

#21

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#12 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 206 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $15,253 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, 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 85%.

Full UC Santa Cruz Physical Sciences Report

#22

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Cheney, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 30 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,856 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Eastern Washington University.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Eastern Washington University

#17 in overall quality

University of Nevada - Reno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. Reno, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 82 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNR, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Nevada - Reno is $14,947 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UNR

#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, University of California - Merced did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Merced, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 65 students in 2019-2020.

UC Merced also took the #24 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,922 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Merced.

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 low 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%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UC Merced

#25

Southern Oregon University

Ashland, Oregon

With a ranking of #25, Southern Oregon University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Ashland, Oregon, this medium-sized public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,562 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Southern Oregon University.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Southern Oregon University

Switch to a Similar Major

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to NASA.

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You