2023 Most Popular Physical Sciences Schools in California
Finding the Best Physical Sciences School for You
Physical Sciences is the #17 most popular major in California with 8,302 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
The Most Popular Physical Sciences Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 169 schools in California to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Physical Sciences program at each school on the list.
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2023 Most Popular Physical Sciences Schools in California
Check out the physical sciences programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in California.
Top 25 Most Popular California Schools in Physical Sciences
Our analysis found University of California - San Diego to be the most popular school for physical sciences students who want to pursue a degree in California. UCSD is a very large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.
After completing their degree, physical sciences graduates from UCSD carry an average student debt load of $17,438. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $167, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Physical Sciences Schools in California list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, physical sciences graduates from UC Berkeley carry an average student debt load of $14,276.
The excellent programs at University of California - Santa Barbara helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best physical sciences schools in California. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Physical Sciences majors at UCSB take out an average of $20,685 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $343.
Full Physical Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara Report
Out of the 169 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, physical sciences graduates from UCLA carry an average student debt load of $17,101.
Full Physical Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles Report
The excellent programs at University of California - Irvine helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best physical sciences schools in California. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that physical sciences majors at UC Irvine take out is $18,271. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $201, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Irvine
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular physical sciences programs. UC Santa Cruz is a large public school located in the city of Santa Cruz.
On average, physical sciences graduates from UC Santa Cruz take out $20,222 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Santa Cruz
University of California - Davis landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular physical sciences programs. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a very large student population.
Physical Sciences majors at UC Davis take out an average of $17,207 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $272.
Stanford University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physical Sciences Schools in California ranking. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.
University of California - Riverside did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for physical sciences students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public college with a very large student population.
On average, physical sciences graduates from UCR take out $20,749 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Physical Sciences at University of California - Riverside Report
San Diego State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Physical Sciences Schools in California list. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Diego.
While working on their degree, physical sciences majors at SDSU accumulate an average of around $23,936 in student debt.
With a ranking of #11, American River College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physical sciences students. Located in the large suburb of Sacramento, American River is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at American River College
Irvine Valley College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for physical sciences students. It came in at #12 on the list. Irvine Valley College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Irvine.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Irvine Valley College
With a ranking of #13, California Institute of Technology did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physical sciences students. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena.
Full Physical Sciences at California Institute of Technology Report
El Camino College ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Physical Sciences Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Torrance, El Camino College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular physical sciences programs. Cal Poly Pomona is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
The average amount in student loans that physical sciences majors at Cal Poly Pomona take out is $18,988.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
University of Southern California landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular physical sciences programs. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
The average amount in student loans that physical sciences majors at USC take out is $3,000.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Southern California
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for physical sciences students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, physical sciences graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out $19,750 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $537, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
With a ranking of #17, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physical sciences students. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.
Physical Sciences majors at CSULB take out an average of $21,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at California State University - Long Beach
With a ranking of #19, San Jose State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physical sciences students. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at San Jose State University
Moorpark College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physical Sciences Schools in California ranking. Moorpark College is a large public school located in the midsize suburb of Moorpark.
Orange Coast College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular physical sciences programs. Orange Coast College is a large public school located in the midsize city of Costa Mesa.
Pasadena City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for physical sciences students. It came in at #22 on the list. Pasadena City College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena.
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for physical sciences students. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Physical Sciences majors at Cal State Fullerton take out an average of $19,330 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at California State University - Fullerton
University of California - Merced ranked #24 on this year’s Most Popular Physical Sciences Schools in California list. UC Merced is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Merced.
While working on their degree, physical sciences majors at UC Merced accumulate an average of around $15,000 in student debt.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Merced
Saddleback College ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Physical Sciences Schools in California list. Saddleback College is a large public school located in the large suburb of Mission Viejo.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Physical Sciences Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 27 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 28 | Santa Barbara City College | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 29 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA |
| 30 | Golden West College | Huntington Beach, CA |
| 31 | Fullerton College | Fullerton, CA |
| 32 | California State University - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 32 | Santiago Canyon College | Orange, CA |
Best Physical Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Most Popular Physical Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 1,936 |
| Oregon | 606 |
| Hawaii | 107 |
| Nevada | 315 |
| Alaska | 60 |
Majors Related to Physical Sciences
Physical Sciences Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 21,239 |
| Physics | 13,674 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 7,821 |
| General Physical Sciences | 3,823 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 1,375 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 1,140 |
| Materials Sciences | 658 |
| Other Physical Science | 538 |
| Physics and Astronomy | 38 |
Majors Similar to Physical Sciences
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer & Information Sciences | 254,454 |
| Engineering | 198,468 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 177,778 |
| Engineering Technologies | 85,188 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 52,396 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 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 NASA.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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