2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 California” 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 California, there were 8,509 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,072 and $18,572 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,891 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking, we looked at 30 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the physical sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - San Marcos. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. 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 made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 97 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB also took the #18 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.
The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 330 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSB also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school awarded 102 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.
The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 spot on the list. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 98 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences 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 low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at California State University - Fullerton
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 122 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly Pomona also took the #14 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #7. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 140 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences 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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Channel Islands did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #8. California State University - Channel Islands is a public institution located in Camarillo, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUCI, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUCI is $13,558 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.
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%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at California State University - Channel Islands
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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 California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles
California State University - Sacramento ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Sacramento 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 California” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.
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%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at California State University - Sacramento
California State University - Bakersfield came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 377 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Berkeley
California State University - San Bernardino ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - San Bernardino is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students per year to attend CSUSB.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #14, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Chico State is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 31 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Chico State also took the #23 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #15. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 366 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #16. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 255 students in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine also took the #7 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students per year to attend UC Irvine.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at University of California - Irvine
San Francisco State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.
University of California - Davis ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 148 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Davis also took the #6 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
University of California - Riverside ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 105 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
UCR also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 University of California - Riverside Physical Sciences Report
With a ranking of #20, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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 50 students in 2019-2020.
Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students per year to attend Cal State LA.
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%.
Humboldt State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Humboldt State University is a public institution located in Arcata, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,692 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students per year to attend Humboldt State University.
Read more about Physical Sciences at Humboldt State University
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school handed out 206 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
California State University - East Bay came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.
University of California - Merced ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized school located in Merced, California that handed out 65 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Merced not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $13,896 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students per year to attend University of California - Merced.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - Fresno ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 55 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at California State University - Fresno
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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).
- 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.
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