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 large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $6,846 per year. Physics majors at CSULB take out an average of $20,792 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, San Diego State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. SDSU is a very large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $8,136 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Sacramento. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Sac State is a very large public school located in the city of Sacramento.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sac State are $7,392 per 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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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Cal State LA is a fairly large public school located in the 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 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 #6 on the list. Cal Poly Pomona is a very large public school located in the suburb of Pomona.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 per 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 ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. CSUSB is a large public school located in the midsize city of San Bernardino.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUSB are $7,213 a year. On average, physics graduates from CSUSB take out $24,130 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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With a ranking of #8, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public school with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Stan State are $7,644 per year.
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With a ranking of #9, California State University - Northridge did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students working on their bachelor’s degree. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the city of Northridge.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUN are $7,043 a 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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With a ranking of #10, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the medium-sized 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.
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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