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2023 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Far Western US Region

35 Ranked Colleges
11,419 Degrees Awarded
$13,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in the Far Western US Region” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 50,306 people earned their degree in physical sciences, making the major the 19th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,880 and had an average of $22,620 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 11,419 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,747 and $20,026 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 35 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physical sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physical sciences programs and cost less that 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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.

Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region physical sciences students.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Far Western US Region

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 #1 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 120 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB also took the #17 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $10,054 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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 undergraduate students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at California State University - Long Beach

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Nevada - Reno. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region. University of Nevada - Reno is a large public school situated in Reno, Nevada. It awarded 123 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region physical sciences students list, UNR has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,930 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students per year to attend UNR.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UNR

3
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 167 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SDSU also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $13,845 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad 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 San Diego State University Physical Sciences Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 131 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region physical sciences students list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,304 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Cal Poly Pomona

5

Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Channel Islands landed the #5 spot on the list. CSUCI is located in Camarillo, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region physical sciences students list, CSUCI has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Channel Islands is $14,928 for far western us region physical sciences students.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at CSUCI

6

University of Nevada - Las Vegas landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. UNLV is a large school located in Las Vegas, Nevada that handed out 68 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

UNLV also took the #20 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $10,993 for far western us region physical sciences students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Nevada - Las Vegas Physical Sciences Report

7

California State University - Fullerton ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 93 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #25 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $8,003 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. 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 Cal State Fullerton Physical Sciences Report

8

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #8. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 83 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $8,523 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students.

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

Read full report on Physical Sciences at California State University - Northridge

9

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 80 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,178 for far western us region physical sciences students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Sac State Physical Sciences Report

10
WWU crest
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #10. Western Washington University is located in Bellingham, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 126 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

WWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend WWU is $17,070 for far western us region physical sciences students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Western Washington University

11
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

With a ranking of #11, Washington State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Washington State University is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 192 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Wazzu not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $15,300 for far western us region physical sciences students per year to attend Washington State University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 full report on Physical Sciences at Washington State University

12

With a ranking of #12, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school awarded 61 degrees to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $8,107 for far western us region physical sciences students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full California State University - San Bernardino Physical Sciences Report

13
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Arcata, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 56 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $14,956 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students.

Full Humboldt State University Physical Sciences Report

14

California State University - Los Angeles ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 63 degrees to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $3,302 for far western us region physical sciences students per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

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

15

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 120 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region physical sciences students list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $20,677 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

16
Oregon State crest
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon

With a ranking of #16, Oregon State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Corvallis, Oregon, and it awarded 196 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Oregon State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oregon State is $21,508 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students.

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

Full Oregon State Physical Sciences Report

17

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #17. California State University - Stanislaus is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $6,566 for far western us region physical sciences students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Stan State Physical Sciences Report

18
CWU crest
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, Washington

Central Washington University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. CWU is a public institution located in Ellensburg, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 57 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $16,514 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students per year to attend Central Washington University.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Central Washington University

19

Portland State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Portland State University is a large public school situated in Portland, Oregon. It awarded 81 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Portland State University is $12,498 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students.

The low undergrad 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%.

Full Portland State University Physical Sciences Report

20
UO crest
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Oregon is a public institution located in Eugene, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 181 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UO, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Oregon is $18,047 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Oregon

21

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 612 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle also took the #6 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $12,017 for far western us region physical sciences students per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UW Seattle Physical Sciences Report

22

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 371 degrees to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region physical sciences students list, UCLA has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for far western us region physical sciences students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Physical Sciences Report

23

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #23. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 598 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $15,240 for far western us region physical sciences students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

24

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 400 diplomas to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $16,252 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UCSB

25

University of California - Davis landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 270 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region physical sciences students list, UC Davis has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $15,768 for Far Western US Region Physical Sciences students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of California - Davis

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