2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2019-2020, 14,123 people earned their degree in physics, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $42,475 and had an average of $22,421 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 3,131 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,486 and $19,317 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,177 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 30 colleges that offered a degree in physics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality physics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the physics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. 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 Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics in California (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 16 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State LA, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
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%.
Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #2 spot on the list. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend University of California - Riverside.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Physics at University of California - Riverside
Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #4 spot on the list. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 53 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Physics 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 Physics students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, 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 89%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 161 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 64 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
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%.
With a ranking of #7, Stanford University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $11,496 for california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Physics at University of California - Irvine
California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
The low 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%.
University of California - Berkeley landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 135 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 Physics at University of California - Berkeley
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSD also took the #7 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
California State University - Bakersfield landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUB is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUB, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $5,318 for california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.
California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.
CSUSM also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend CSUSM.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - San Marcos Physics Report
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Sac State also took the #19 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at California State University - Sacramento
California State University - San Bernardino landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSB, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid per year to attend CSUSB.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full California State University - San Bernardino Physics Report
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU also took the #18 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid per year to attend SDSU.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #17, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid list, UC Davis has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
Read full report on Physics at University of California - Davis
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 39 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Physics 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 Physics students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Physics Report
California State University - Stanislaus landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 11 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $6,019 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Fresno ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 6 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.
With a ranking of #21, California State University - Channel Islands did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUCI is a medium-sized school located in Camarillo, California that handed out 13 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUCI also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $13,558 for california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend California State University - Channel Islands.
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 full report on Physics at California State University - Channel Islands
University of California - Merced ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.
UC Merced also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Merced is $13,896 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at University of California - Merced
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 43 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.
UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $18,186 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #24, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.
SFSU also took the #20 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
California Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. California Institute of Technology is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 34 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree physics students with aid list, Caltech has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of Technology is $24,274 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 3 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (With Aid)
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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 A. T. Service.
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