2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2019-2020, 52,879 people earned their degree in physical sciences, making the major the 18th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $38,122 and had an average of $22,339 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 8,509 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,072 and $18,572 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,891 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 30 colleges that offer a degree in physical sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent physical sciences programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the physical sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in California (With Aid)
Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences 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%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at California State University - Los Angeles
Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences 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. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 98 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Bakersfield. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school handed out 39 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
CSUB also took the #22 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 255 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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%.
Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences 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 #5 spot on the list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 97 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences 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 physical sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at California State University - Long Beach
University of California - Riverside landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 105 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Riverside Physical Sciences Report
With a ranking of #7, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 140 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 188 students in 2019-2020.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 330 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
California State University - Sacramento landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 74 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
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%.
Stanford University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 67 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $11,496 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
The low 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - San Bernardino ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - San Bernardino is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 102 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
CSUSB also took the #25 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUDH is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 9 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - San Marcos landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUSM is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 32 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSM, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,399 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.
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%.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 377 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.
University of California - San Diego came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 366 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
UCSD also took the #8 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of California - San Diego.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at University of California - San Diego
University of California - Davis ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 148 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid per year to attend University of California - Davis.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of California - Davis Physical Sciences Report
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 122 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,734 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. UC Merced is located in Merced, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 65 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid list, UC Merced has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Merced is $13,896 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.
California State University - Fresno came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 55 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
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 freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 35 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Channel Islands came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUCI is a public institution located in Camarillo, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUCI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSUCI is $13,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at California State University - Channel Islands
With a ranking of #23, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 206 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Santa Cruz also took the #11 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
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 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%.
San Francisco State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Francisco State University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid per year to attend San Francisco State University.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at San Francisco State University
With a ranking of #25, California Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Caltech also took the #1 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of Technology is $24,274 for california bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
Full California Institute of Technology Physical Sciences Report
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- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences (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 NASA.
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