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2024 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences in Massachusetts

10 Ranked Colleges
1,721 Degrees Awarded
$26,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 50,306 people earned their degree in physical sciences, making the major the 19th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,880 and had an average of $22,620 in loans still to pay off.

Across Massachusetts, there were 1,721 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $43,298 and $24,195 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physical sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physical sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the physical sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The physical sciences 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 Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts

The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts physical sciences students.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences in Massachusetts

1
UMass Amherst crest
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #1 spot on the list. UMass Amherst is a large school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 190 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

UMass Amherst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Massachusetts Amherst is $22,038 for massachusetts physical sciences students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Massachusetts Amherst Physical Sciences Report

2

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts - Lowell landed the #2 spot on the list. Lowell, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 71 students in 2020-2021.

UMass Lowell also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $20,079 for Massachusetts Physical Sciences students per year to attend University of Massachusetts - Lowell.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UMass Lowell Physical Sciences Report

3
Bridgewater State crest
Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, Massachusetts

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Bridgewater State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Bridgewater State is a medium-sized school located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts that handed out 49 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Bridgewater State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $18,951 for Massachusetts Physical Sciences students per year to attend Bridgewater State.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Bridgewater State

4
Salem State crest
Salem State University
Salem, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Salem State University. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in Salem, Massachusetts, this medium-sized public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

Salem State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $19,017 for Massachusetts Physical Sciences students per year to attend Salem State University.

Full Salem State Physical Sciences Report

5
Northeastern crest
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 84 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Northeastern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern is $29,714 for Massachusetts Physical Sciences students.

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

Full Northeastern University Physical Sciences Report

6
Holy Cross crest
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, Massachusetts

College of the Holy Cross came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts ranking. College of the Holy Cross is a small school located in Worcester, Massachusetts that handed out 41 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Holy Cross, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $35,761 for Massachusetts Physical Sciences students per year to attend Holy Cross.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at College of the Holy Cross

7
Brandeis crest
Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts

Brandeis University landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Brandeis is a medium-sized school located in Waltham, Massachusetts that handed out 62 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Brandeis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $33,663 for massachusetts physical sciences students per year to attend Brandeis.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 more about Physical Sciences at Brandeis University

8
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #8, Williams College did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts list. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It awarded 63 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Williams also took the #3 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Williams is $23,497 for Massachusetts Physical Sciences students.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full Williams College Physical Sciences Report

9
Smith crest
Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts

Smith College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Located in Northampton, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 47 diplomas to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

Smith not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Smith College is $29,615 for massachusetts physical sciences students.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Smith College Physical Sciences Report

10
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston University landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Boston University is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 113 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Boston U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $30,395 for Massachusetts Physical Sciences students per year to attend Boston University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Boston University Physical Sciences Report

Notes and References

References

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