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2022 Best Value Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

4 Ranked Colleges
97 Degrees Awarded
$10,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Applied Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Applied Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Engineering & Applied Physics is the 440th most popular major in the country with 941 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 97 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Applied Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in engineering and applied physics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent engineering and applied physics programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the engineering and applied physics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Applied Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 3 ’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

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 Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $3,995 for illinois applied physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The 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.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Northwestern

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 77 ’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $8,464 for Illinois Applied Physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIUC.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at UIUC

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 3 ’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $11,185 for Illinois Applied Physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at UIC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois Institute of Technology. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2 ’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $18,720 for Illinois Applied Physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Illinois Tech.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Illinois Tech

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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

Footnotes

  • *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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