2024 Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region
18
Ranked Colleges
1,129
Degrees Awarded
$16,600
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 Southwest region, there were 1,129 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $62,678 and $23,847 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking looked at 18 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physics programs and 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.
More Ways to Rank Physics Schools
The physics school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 Southwest Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region.
Top 18 Best Value Colleges for Physics in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region. University of Houston is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 34 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $13,721 for Southwest Region Physics students per year to attend University of Houston.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Physics at University of Houston
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Tech University landed the #2 spot on the list. Texas Tech is a large public school situated in Lubbock, Texas. It awarded 48 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region physics students list, Texas Tech has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $16,194 for southwest region physics students per year to attend Texas Tech.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Texas Tech University Physics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Stillwater, Oklahoma that handed out 12 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
OSU also made our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend OSU is $14,237 for southwest region physics students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at OSU
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Texas. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region. UNT is a large school located in Denton, Texas that handed out 32 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region physics students list, UNT has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNT is $14,122 for southwest region physics students.
Full UNT Physics Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region. UT Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.
UT Rio Grande Valley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $3,743 for southwest region physics students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Physics Report
University of Arizona ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region list. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 162 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Arizona also made our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $13,358 for Southwest Region Physics students per year to attend University of Arizona.
Read full report on Physics at University of Arizona
With a ranking of #7, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region list. Flagstaff, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
NAU also took the #16 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $14,308 for Southwest Region Physics students per year to attend Northern Arizona University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at Northern Arizona University
The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 36 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UTSA, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UTSA is $10,549 for Southwest Region Physics students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full The University of Texas at San Antonio Physics Report
Sam Houston State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Sam Houston State University is a large school located in Huntsville, Texas that handed out 11 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
SHSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Sam Houston State University is $15,035 for southwest region physics students.
Read more about Physics at SHSU
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region list. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large public school situated in College Station, Texas. It awarded 64 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M College Station did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $18,919 for Southwest Region Physics students per year to attend Texas A&M College Station.
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 2.2% 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 more about Physics at Texas A&M College Station
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Norman, Oklahoma, this large public school awarded 24 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Oklahoma, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $21,122 for Southwest Region Physics students per year to attend University of Oklahoma.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
The University of Texas at El Paso ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in El Paso, Texas, and it awarded 29 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UTEP, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $9,000 for Southwest Region Physics students per year to attend UTEP.
Read full report on Physics at UTEP
With a ranking of #13, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas at Arlington is a large school located in Arlington, Texas that handed out 44 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Arlington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Arlington is $15,509 for southwest region physics students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 The University of Texas at Arlington Physics Report
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region list. ASU - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 50 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region physics students list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $13,107 for southwest region physics students per year to attend ASU - Tempe.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Arizona State University - Tempe Physics Report
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #15. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 111 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $18,350 for southwest region physics students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Physics at UT Austin
Baylor University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #16. Baylor is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waco, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Baylor did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Baylor is $37,309 for southwest region physics students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Physics at Baylor University
The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #17. UT Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 40 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.
UT Dallas also made our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $15,526 for southwest region physics students per year to attend The University of Texas at Dallas.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Physics at The University of Texas at Dallas
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Embry-Riddle Prescott is a private not-for-profit institution located in Prescott, Arizona. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region physics students list, Embry-Riddle Prescott has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Embry-Riddle Prescott is $35,432 for Southwest Region Physics students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott Physics Report
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Notes and References
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits