2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in California
67
Ranked Colleges
3,929
Degrees Awarded
$37,424
Avg Salary
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Physical Sciences is the 19th most popular major in the country with 50,306 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 California, there were 8,381 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $43,416 and $18,590 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,929 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,566 and $21,995 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California” ranking analyzed 67 colleges that offered a degree in physical sciences. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their physical sciences program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. 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.
Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California”.
Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in California
Out of the 67 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Pomona College landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Pomona Physical Sciences Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvey Mudd College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California list. Harvey Mudd College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 15 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Harvey Mudd College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California list. Caltech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate 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.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Caltech
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Occidental College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California list. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Occidental College Physical Sciences Report
Out of the 67 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Westmont College landed the #5 spot on the list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Westmont College
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 274 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Physical Sciences Report
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 296 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara
University of California - Merced ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California list. University of California - Merced is located in Merced, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 75 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 UC Merced Physical Sciences Report
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking, coming in at #9. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 410 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at UCSD
Scripps College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking, coming in at #10. Scripps College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at Scripps College
Pitzer College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Physical Sciences at Pitzer College
With a ranking of #12, Whittier College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California list. Whittier, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at Whittier College
Humboldt State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Arcata, California, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Humboldt State University Physical Sciences Report
With a ranking of #14, Claremont McKenna College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California list. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 Claremont McKenna College
University of California - Berkeley ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California list. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 357 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Physical Sciences at University of California - Berkeley
University of California - Irvine came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 266 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Physical Sciences at UC Irvine
University of Saint Katherine landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking. San Marcos, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
Full University of Saint Katherine Physical Sciences Report
University of California - Riverside landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 143 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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 University of California - Riverside Physical Sciences Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 112 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Physical Sciences Report
Sonoma State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking, coming in at #20. This medium-sized school is located in Rohnert Park, California, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Sonoma State University Physical Sciences Report
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 117 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Physical Sciences Report
Pacific Union College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking. Pacific Union College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Angwin, California. It awarded 5 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Full PUC Physical Sciences Report
Dominican University of California came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking. Dominican University of California is a small school located in San Rafael, California that handed out 8 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 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%.
Full DUofC Physical Sciences Report
With a ranking of #24, Stanford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at Stanford University
University of California - Davis came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in California ranking. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 172 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Davis
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