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2023 Best Value Colleges for Physics in the New England Region

11 Ranked Colleges
1,100 Degrees Awarded
$26,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 13,674 people earned their degree in physics, making the major the 68th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $42,960 and had an average of $22,756 in loans still to pay off.

Across the New England region, there were 1,100 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,107 and $23,857 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in physics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent physics programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the physics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Physics in the New England Region

1

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts - Lowell landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Massachusetts - Lowell is a fairly large public school situated in Lowell, Massachusetts. It awarded 36 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

UMass Lowell also took the #9 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMass Lowell is $20,079 for New England Region Physics students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at University of Massachusetts - Lowell

2

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 75 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

UMass Amherst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Physics Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Massachusetts Amherst is $22,038 for New England Region Physics students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full University of Massachusetts Amherst Physics Report

3
Bridgewater State crest
Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bridgewater State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region. This medium-sized school is located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and it awarded 12 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Bridgewater State also took the #11 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $18,951 for new england region physics students per year to attend Bridgewater State University.

Read full report on Physics at Bridgewater State

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of New Hampshire - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region list. Located in Durham, New Hampshire, this fairly large public school awarded 28 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

UNH also took the #10 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of New Hampshire - Main Campus is $24,160 for new england region physics students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at UNH

5
UCONN crest
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Connecticut. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region list. University of Connecticut is located in Storrs, Connecticut and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCONN, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $22,974 for new england region physics students per year to attend UCONN.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UCONN Physics Report

6
Northeastern crest
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #6, Northeastern University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region list. Northeastern is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 34 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Northeastern also took the #2 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $29,714 for new england region physics students per year to attend Northeastern.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physics at Northeastern

7
Holy Cross crest
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #7, College of the Holy Cross did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region list. This small school is located in Worcester, Massachusetts, and it awarded 12 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our new england region physics students list, Holy Cross has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Holy Cross is $35,761 for New England Region Physics students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Physics at College of the Holy Cross

8
Brandeis crest
Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts

Brandeis University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region list. Brandeis University is a medium-sized school located in Waltham, Massachusetts that handed out 23 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Brandeis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Physics Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Brandeis is $33,663 for New England Region Physics students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at Brandeis

9
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #9, Williams College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region list. Williamstown, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s physics degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Williams, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $23,497 for New England Region Physics students per year to attend Williams.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Williams Physics Report

10
Smith crest
Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts

Smith College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region list. Smith College is located in Northampton, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Smith, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $29,615 for New England Region Physics students per year to attend Smith College.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at Smith College

11
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in the New England Region list. Boston U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Boston U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Physics Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Boston U is $30,395 for New England Region Physics students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Boston University Physics Report

Notes and References

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