2023 Best Value Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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 Value Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 23 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for physics students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Long Beach the best value school in California for physics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a fairly large student population.
CSULB undergraduate students pay an average of $6,846 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Physics majors at CSULB take out an average of $20,792 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Full Physics at California State University - Long Beach Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
SDSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,136 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at California State University - Sacramento helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value physics schools in California. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Sacramento.
Sac State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,392 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Physics majors at Sac State take out an average of $17,036 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Cal State LA is a very large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State LA are $6,785 a year.
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California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree physics programs. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 a year. The average amount in student loans that physics majors at Cal Poly Pomona take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $17,231.
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California State University - San Bernardino came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. CSUSB is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of San Bernardino.
CSUSB undergraduate students pay an average of $7,213 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, physics graduates from CSUSB take out $24,130 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Full Physics at California State University - San Bernardino Report
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California State University - Stanislaus 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 #8 on the list. Located in the suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Stan State are $7,644 a year.
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California State University - Northridge landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree physics programs. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Northridge.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUN are $7,043 per year. The average amount in student loans that physics majors at CSUN take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $23,793.
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University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree physics programs. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a fairly large student population.
UCSB undergraduate students pay an average of $14,417 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, physics majors at UCSB accumulate an average of around $17,121 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCSB also is in the top 20% of our Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
Read full report on Physics at University of California - Santa Barbara
Request InformationBest Value Physics Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value 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 |
More Physics Rankings in California
Physics Related Majors for Physics
One of 8 majors within the area of study, physics has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Physics
| 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.
- 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.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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