Find Affordable College Courses

What Do You Want to Study?

Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

2023 Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

23 Colleges
$39,260 Avg Salary
$22,756 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Physics Bachelor's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 3,218 degrees and certificates were awarded to physics students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #40 most popular major in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 23 schools in California to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California

Check out the physics bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the best school in California for physics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.

Read More…

Request Information

Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, physics majors at UCSB accumulate an average of around $17,121 in student debt.

Full Physics at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

Request Information

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for physics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, physics majors at UC Berkeley accumulate an average of around $15,953 in student debt.

Read full report on Physics at University of California - Berkeley

Request Information

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Physics majors at UCLA take out an average of $21,236 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read More…

Request Information

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of California - San Diego helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best physics schools in California. UCSD is a very large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.

The average amount in student loans that physics majors at UCSD take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $19,846.

Read More…

Request Information

University of California - Merced ranked #6 on this year’s Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. UC Merced is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Merced.

Full Physics at University of California - Merced Report

Request Information
#7

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree physics programs. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.

Full Physics at San Diego State University Report

Request Information
#8

University of Redlands

Redlands, CA

With a ranking of #8, University of Redlands did quite well on this year’s best schools for physics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Redlands, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read More…

Request Information

University of California - Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physics students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $201, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Physics at University of California - Irvine Report

Request Information

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Riverside did quite well on this year’s best schools for physics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public school with a very large student population.

Read More…

Request Information

Best Physics Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Physics Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 392
Oregon 187
Nevada 50
Hawaii 10
Alaska 4

One of 8 majors within the area of study, physics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 21,239
Geological & Earth Sciences 7,821
General Physical Sciences 3,823
Astronomy & Astrophysics 1,375
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 1,140

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 23 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to A. T. Service.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.