2023 Best Value Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $48-$75k)
49
Ranked Colleges
994
Degrees Awarded
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 994 people earned their degree in engineering and applied physics, making the major the 448th most popular in the United States.
For this year’s “Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 49 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.
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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $48-$75k)
Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 17 degrees to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.
Harvard also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard University is $2,669 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Harvard
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia University in the City of New York. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. Columbia is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $8,106 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Engineering & Applied Physics Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 7 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k list, Northwestern has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $5,849 for Applied Physics students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. 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.
Full Northwestern University Engineering & Applied Physics Report
Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 10 degrees to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.
Rice did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Rice is $6,152 for Applied Physics students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Rice University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cornell University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Ithaca, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 62 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell University is $9,785 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Cornell University
Dartmouth College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Dartmouth College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hanover, New Hampshire. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Dartmouth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” list. It costs about $12,172 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Dartmouth.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 96%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Dartmouth College
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,481 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
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 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%.
Full U-M Engineering & Applied Physics Report
University of California - Berkeley landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 18 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also took the #6 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,423 for Applied Physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 96%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at UC Berkeley
Brown University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Brown is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
Brown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” list. It costs about $10,219 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Brown.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Brown
With a ranking of #10, Tufts University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Tufts is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 7 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Tufts also took the #11 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Tufts University is $19,827 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Tufts Engineering & Applied Physics Report
University of California - San Diego came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 17 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $14,310 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at University of California - San Diego
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” list. It costs about $16,019 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at University of Virginia - Main Campus
With a ranking of #13, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” list. It costs about $13,273 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ohio State.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Ohio State Engineering & Applied Physics Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 74 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $11,505 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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
University of Wisconsin - Platteville came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Platteville, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 22 degrees to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.
UW - Platteville also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $13,699 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW - Platteville.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at University of Wisconsin - Platteville
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $10,364 for Applied Physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW - Madison.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, 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 95%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at UW - Madison
With a ranking of #17, Murray State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Murray State is a medium-sized public school situated in Murray, Kentucky. It awarded 29 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $11,244 for Applied Physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Murray State University.
Full Murray State Engineering & Applied Physics Report
Oakland University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Oakland University is a fairly large school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan that handed out 1 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $12,008 for Applied Physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Oakland University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Oakland University
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #19. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 3 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $15,561 for Applied Physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Arizona State University - Tempe.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at ASU - Tempe
New Mexico State University - Main Campus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. NMSU Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It awarded 6 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $11,116 for Applied Physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend NMSU Main Campus.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at NMSU Main Campus
Colorado School of Mines came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Golden, Colorado, and it awarded 59 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Mines did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Colorado School of Mines is $24,461 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Mines
University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #22. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a public institution located in Duluth, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,364 for Applied Physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UMN Duluth.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at University of Minnesota - Duluth
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $14,105 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 UIC
University of Arizona ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 4 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $13,644 for Applied Physics students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Arizona Engineering & Applied Physics Report
University of Colorado Boulder came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Boulder, Colorado, this large public school handed out 27 diplomas to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Colorado Boulder is $18,204 for applied physics students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at CU - Boulder
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