Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Physical Sciences

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)

49 Ranked Colleges
5,569 Degrees Awarded
$11,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

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 Getting Aid” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 52,879 people earned their degree in physical sciences, making the major the 18th most popular in the United States. 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 Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 49 colleges that offer a degree in physical sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality physical sciences programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the physical sciences program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)

#7 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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 459 students in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #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 $13,297 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UW Seattle Physical Sciences Report

Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 50 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.

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%.

Full Cal State LA Physical Sciences Report

#19 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Cal State Fullerton

Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Bakersfield landed the #4 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,318 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid per year to attend CSUB.

Full California State University - Bakersfield Physical Sciences Report

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. 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.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Irvine

#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 97 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

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 $9,622 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at CSULB

#13 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. UCR 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 with aid list, UCR has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $12,871 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at UCR

#8

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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 140 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at SDSU

#9

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid 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 188 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $14,279 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Full UCLA Physical Sciences Report

#10

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, 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 Getting Aid list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 330 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid list, UCSB has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $15,884 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full UCSB Physical Sciences Report

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento 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 Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 74 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $9,979 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.

Full Sac State Physical Sciences Report

#12

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#2 in overall quality

Stanford University 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 Getting Aid ranking. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $11,496 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The 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 University Physical Sciences Report

#13

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 102 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.

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

Read full report on Physical Sciences at CSUSB

California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 9 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#18 in overall quality

California State University - San Marcos ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. CSUSM is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 32 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUSM is $13,399 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.

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%.

Full California State University - San Marcos Physical Sciences Report

#16

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#3 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 377 bachelors’s 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 $15,329 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Berkeley Physical Sciences Report

#9 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 366 students in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $14,232 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UCSD

University of Nevada - Las Vegas came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $11,424 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.

Full UNLV Physical Sciences Report

#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 148 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of California - Davis

#16 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 122 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 87%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#24 in overall quality

University of California - Merced ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Merced is located in Merced, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 65 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

UC Merced did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Merced is $13,896 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UC Merced Physical Sciences Report

California State University - Fresno ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 55 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,464 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid per year to attend Fresno State.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Fresno Physical Sciences Report

#23

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cheney, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,607 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid per year to attend EWU.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Eastern Washington University

#24

Southern Oregon University

Ashland, Oregon

Southern Oregon University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ashland, Oregon is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southern Oregon University is $10,386 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Southern Oregon University

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 35 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,019 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Stanislaus Physical Sciences Report

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