2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
14
Ranked Colleges
342
Degrees Awarded
$13,600
Avg Net Price*
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 Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Engineering & Applied Physics is the 448th most popular major in the country with 994 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 342 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in engineering and applied physics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering and applied physics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the engineering and applied physics program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $917 for great lakes region applied physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern University.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Northwestern University
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 21 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $5,670 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at U-M
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 74 students in 2020-2021.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $8,036 for great lakes region applied physics students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 23 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $8,581 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Ohio State.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Ohio State University - Main Campus
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 1 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $4,788 for great lakes region applied physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW - Madison.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 Wisconsin - Madison Engineering & Applied Physics Report
University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Platteville, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
UW - Platteville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Platteville is $10,334 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at UW - Platteville
With a ranking of #7, Oakland University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Oakland is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our great lakes region applied physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Oakland has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Oakland is $8,839 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Oakland Engineering & Applied Physics Report
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.
UIC also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $11,351 for great lakes region applied physics students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at University of Illinois at Chicago
Case Western Reserve University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 5 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Case Western, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Case Western Reserve University is $15,570 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Case Western Reserve University
With a ranking of #10, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Illinois Tech is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
Illinois Tech also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $21,101 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Illinois Institute of Technology.
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 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Illinois Tech Engineering & Applied Physics Report
Miami University - Oxford landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Miami University - Oxford is a public institution located in Oxford, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Miami University - Oxford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Miami University - Oxford is $16,062 for great lakes region applied physics students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Miami University - Oxford Engineering & Applied Physics Report
Marquette University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Marquette University is a fairly large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 1 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Marquette also took the #11 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Marquette University is $21,378 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Full Marquette University Engineering & Applied Physics Report
With a ranking of #13, Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Terre Haute, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology is $27,109 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology
Kettering University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Kettering is a small school located in Flint, Michigan that handed out 8 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region applied physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Kettering has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $30,263 for great lakes region applied physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Kettering.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Kettering Engineering & Applied 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
- Credit for the banner image above goes to NASA.
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