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Best Value Physics Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Physics Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

23 Colleges
$16,408 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$41,268 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Physics Schools in California

Check out the physics programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Physics Schools

$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found California State University - Long Beach to be the best value school for physics students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a very 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 $21,750 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Physics at California State University - Long Beach

$7,392 Average Tuition & Fees

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.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sac State are $7,392 per year. After completing their degree, physics graduates from Sac State carry an average student debtload of $15,000.

Full Physics at California State University - Sacramento Report

#3

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
$8,136 Average Tuition & Fees

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 fairly 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.

Read More…

$6,976 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #4 on our 2023 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.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 a year.

Read full report on Physics at California State University - Fullerton

$7,439 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the # 5 spot 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. While working on their degree, physics majors at Cal Poly Pomona accumulate an average of around $17,384 in student debt.

Full Physics at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report

$7,213 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in California list. CSUSB is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of San Bernardino.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUSB are $7,213 per year. After completing their degree, physics graduates from CSUSB carry an average student debtload of $25,581.

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$6,785 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Los Angeles ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in California list. Cal State LA is a very 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.

Read full report on Physics at California State University - Los Angeles

$7,644 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physics programs. Located in the suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public college with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Stan State are $7,644 per year.

Full Physics at California State University - Stanislaus Report

$14,417 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

UCSB undergraduate students pay an average of $14,417 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that physics majors at UCSB take out is $17,525.

UCSB excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Physics Schools in California list.

Read More…

$7,043 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Northridge landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physics programs. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the city of Northridge.

CSUN undergraduate students pay an average of $7,043 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, physics majors at CSUN accumulate an average of around $22,574 in student debt.

Read full report on Physics at California State University - Northridge

Best Value Physics Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Physics Colleges 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.

  • 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.

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