2023 Best Value Physics Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Physics 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.
The Best Value Physics Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 23 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value 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 Schools
Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Long Beach the best value school in California for physics students. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very 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 $21,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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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 #2 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in California list. Sac State is a very large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
Sac State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,392 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, physics graduates from Sac State carry an average student debtload of $15,000.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in California list. SDSU is a very 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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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in California list. Located in the large 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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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a great value for physics students. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
Cal Poly Pomona undergraduate students pay an average of $7,439 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, physics majors at Cal Poly Pomona accumulate an average of around $17,384 in student debt.
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California State University - San Bernardino landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physics programs. CSUSB is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Bernardino.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUSB are $7,213 a year. After completing their degree, physics graduates from CSUSB carry an average student debtload of $25,581.
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With a ranking of #7, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students. Cal State LA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Cal State LA undergraduate students pay an average of $6,785 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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California State University - Stanislaus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in California list. Located in the small suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Stan State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,644 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in California list. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UCSB are $14,417 per year. The average amount in student loans that physics majors at UCSB take out is $17,525.
In addition to its great value ranking, UCSB is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Physics Schools in California list.
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With a ranking of #10, California State University - Northridge did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students. CSUN is a very large public school located in the city of Northridge.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUN are $7,043 per year. While working on their degree, physics majors at CSUN accumulate an average of around $22,574 in student debt.
Full Physics at California State University - Northridge Report
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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