2023 Best Value Colleges for Natural Sciences
24
Ranked Colleges
2,214
Degrees Awarded
$18,300
Avg Net Price*
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 Natural Sciences Schools” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Natural Sciences is the 345th most popular major in the country with 2,214 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools” ranking analyzed 24 colleges that offered a degree in natural sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality natural sciences programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the natural sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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 Natural Sciences Schools
The colleges and universities below are the best for natural sciences students.
Top 24 Best Value Colleges for Natural Sciences
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American Public University System. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools. This large school is located in Charles Town, West Virginia, and it awarded 32 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
American Military University also made our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $10,563 for Natural Sciences students per year to attend American Military University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at American Military University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Puerto Rico - Cayey. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools. University of Puerto Rico - Cayey is located in Cayey, and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 72 ’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.
UPR Cayey not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Puerto Rico - Cayey is $6,043 for natural sciences students.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at University of Puerto Rico - Cayey
Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, Kansas State University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Manhattan, Kansas, and it awarded 84 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
K -State also made our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $18,433 for natural sciences students per year to attend Kansas State University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Natural Sciences at K -State
Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #4 spot on the list. Missouri State is a large public school situated in Springfield, Missouri. It awarded 11 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Missouri State, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,718 for Natural Sciences students per year to attend Missouri State.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 more about Natural Sciences at Missouri State
Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Tahlequah, Oklahoma is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s natural sciences degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NSU, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NSU is $10,094 for Natural Sciences students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full NSU Natural Sciences Report
The University of Texas at El Paso landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools ranking. Located in El Paso, Texas, this large public school handed out 9 degrees to qualified ’s natural sciences students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our natural sciences students list, UTEP has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UTEP is $9,000 for natural sciences students.
Read more about Natural Sciences at UTEP
University of Wyoming landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools ranking. University of Wyoming is a fairly large public school situated in Laramie, Wyoming. It awarded 6 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UW is $11,085 for natural sciences students.
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%.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at UW
Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools ranking. This large school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 14 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our natural sciences students list, VCU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $20,490 for natural sciences students per year to attend VCU.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full VCU Natural Sciences Report
Colorado State University - Fort Collins ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Natural Sciences Schools list. Colorado State is located in Fort Collins, Colorado and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.
Colorado State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,679 for natural sciences students per year to attend Colorado State.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full Colorado State Natural Sciences Report
Arkansas State University - Newport ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Natural Sciences Schools list. Newport, Arkansas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s natural sciences degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
ASUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Arkansas State University - Newport is $8,530 for Natural Sciences students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full ASUN Natural Sciences Report
Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools ranking. ASU - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 6 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
ASU - Tempe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list. It costs about $13,107 for natural sciences students per year to attend Arizona State University - Tempe.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full ASU - Tempe Natural Sciences Report
California State University - Chico came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 8 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Chico State also took the #14 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,218 for Natural Sciences students per year to attend California State University - Chico.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Chico State Natural Sciences Report
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Natural Sciences Schools list. Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 24 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is $14,494 for natural sciences students.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Dominican University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Natural Sciences Schools list. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 28 degrees to qualified ’s natural sciences students in 2020-2021.
Dominican U also made our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Dominican U is $18,645 for natural sciences students.
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. 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%.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at Dominican University
With a ranking of #15, University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools list. Located in Omaha, Nebraska, this fairly large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified ’s natural sciences students in 2020-2021.
UNOMAHA also took the #22 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nebraska at Omaha is $13,914 for Natural Sciences students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at UNOMAHA
With a ranking of #16, University of Arizona did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools list. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 4 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Arizona also made our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $13,358 for Natural Sciences students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at University of Arizona
University of Alaska Fairbanks came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools ranking. UAF is a medium-sized school located in Fairbanks, Alaska that handed out 14 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UAF, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UAF is $10,510 for Natural Sciences students.
Read more about Natural Sciences at University of Alaska Fairbanks
With a ranking of #18, Temple University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools list. Temple University is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our natural sciences students list, Temple has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Temple University is $23,888 for Natural Sciences students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Natural Sciences at Temple University
Oklahoma Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools ranking, coming in at #19. This small school is located in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and it awarded 10 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at OBU, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $21,668 for natural sciences students per year to attend Oklahoma Baptist University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 Natural Sciences at Oklahoma Baptist University
College of Saint Benedict landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools ranking. Saint Joseph, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s natural sciences degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
CSB also made our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for CSB is $25,954 for Natural Sciences students.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full CSB Natural Sciences Report
Loyola Marymount University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s natural sciences degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Marymount, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $44,467 for natural sciences students per year to attend Loyola Marymount.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Loyola Marymount University Natural Sciences Report
Hofstra University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools ranking. Hofstra University is a fairly large school located in Hempstead, New York that handed out 3 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Hofstra not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Hofstra is $33,682 for Natural Sciences students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Natural Sciences at Hofstra
With a ranking of #23, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools list. Johns Hopkins University is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 26 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins also made our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins University is $23,428 for natural sciences students.
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%. 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 Johns Hopkins Natural Sciences Report
Boston College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Natural Sciences Schools list. Boston College is a fairly large school located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts that handed out 4 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Boston College, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Boston College is $36,599 for natural sciences students.
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 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 Boston College Natural Sciences 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 Agsftw.
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