2023 Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in California
67
Ranked Colleges
3,929
Degrees Awarded
$37,424
Avg Salary
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 “Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 67 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physical sciences. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in physical sciences.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Physical Sciences Schools
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 “Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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.
Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.
Top 25 Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in California
Out of the 67 schools in the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #1 spot on the 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 410 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Physical Sciences at UCSD
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 357 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 296 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Physical Sciences at UCSB
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 274 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full UC Santa Cruz Physical Sciences Report
Out of the 67 schools in the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #5 spot on the list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 266 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, 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%.
Full University of California - Irvine Physical Sciences Report
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 201 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles
With a ranking of #7, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 172 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Davis
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 143 diplomas 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 91%. 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%.
Full University of California - Riverside Physical Sciences Report
With a ranking of #9, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 135 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 San Diego State University Physical Sciences Report
With a ranking of #10, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. 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.
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 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school awarded 112 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Physical Sciences Report
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #12. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 98 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at California State University - Long Beach
San Jose State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 85 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at San Jose State University
California State University - Fullerton landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 79 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full California State University - Fullerton Physical Sciences Report
University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 75 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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 more about Physical Sciences at UC Merced
Stanford University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Stanford University Physical Sciences Report
California State University - Sacramento ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 70 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Sac State
California State University - San Bernardino came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 61 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full CSUSB Physical Sciences Report
California State University - Northridge came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified 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%.
Full California State University - Northridge Physical Sciences Report
With a ranking of #20, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Arcata, California. It awarded 56 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Humboldt State University Physical Sciences Report
With a ranking of #21, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 55 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Fresno Physical Sciences Report
University of Southern California ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 46 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 more about Physical Sciences at USC
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at California State University - Los Angeles
Sonoma State University ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s list. Sonoma State University is a public institution located in Rohnert Park, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s 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%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at SSU
California Institute of Technology came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major in California for a Bachelor’s ranking. California Institute of Technology is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 40 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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
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