2023 Best Value Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $0-$30k) in California
4
Ranked Colleges
91
Degrees Awarded
$17,300
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Applied Physics Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 994 people earned their degree in engineering and applied physics, making the major the 448th most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 91 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Applied Physics Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in engineering and applied physics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering and applied physics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the engineering and applied physics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Engineering & Applied Physics Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Applied Physics Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Applied Physics Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california applied physics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,450 for California Applied Physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Berkeley Engineering & Applied Physics Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 17 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,823 for california applied physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at University of California - San Diego
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Santa Clara University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clara, California. It awarded 6 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SCU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $26,428 for california applied physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SCU.
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 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%.
Full SCU Engineering & Applied Physics Report
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #4 spot on the list. Point Loma Nazarene University is located in San Diego, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california applied physics students whose families make $0-$30k list, PLNU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for PLNU is $24,604 for California Applied Physics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Point Loma Nazarene University
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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
- *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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