Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $30-$48k)

17 Ranked Colleges
813 Degrees Awarded
$16,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 2,345 people earned their degree in natural sciences, making the major the 339th most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 813 natural sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 17 colleges that offer 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.

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

More Ways to Rank Natural Sciences Schools

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 for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 17 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Johns Hopkins University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Johns Hopkins also made our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $8,210 for Bachelor’s Degree Natural Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Johns Hopkins University.

The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive 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.

Read full report on Natural Sciences at Johns Hopkins

#2

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Boston College landed the #2 spot on the list. Boston College is a fairly large school located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts that handed out 3 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Boston College, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,951 for Bachelor’s Degree Natural Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Boston College.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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

#3

Indiana University - East

Richmond, Indiana
#15 in overall quality

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - East landed the #3 spot on the list. IU East is a small school located in Richmond, Indiana that handed out 3 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

IU East did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - East is $5,002 for Bachelor’s Degree Natural Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Natural Sciences at Indiana University - East

#4

American Public University System

Charles Town, West Virginia
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Public University System. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. American Military University is a private for-profit institution located in Charles Town, West Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

American Military University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend American Military University is $10,917 for bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Public University System

#13 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska at Omaha. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UNOMAHA is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UNOMAHA has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNOMAHA is $11,460 for bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Natural Sciences at University of Nebraska at Omaha

#9 in overall quality

California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Chico State is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.

Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $11,576 for Bachelor’s Degree Natural Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Chico State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Chico State Natural Sciences Report

#7

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas
#6 in overall quality

Kansas State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. K -State is a public institution located in Manhattan, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at K -State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for K -State is $15,089 for bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Natural Sciences at Kansas State University

#12 in overall quality

Colorado State University - Fort Collins ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Colorado State is a large school located in Fort Collins, Colorado that handed out 7 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Colorado State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $11,890 for Bachelor’s Degree Natural Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Colorado State University - Fort Collins.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, 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 85%.

Read full report on Natural Sciences at Colorado State University - Fort Collins

#9

College of Saint Benedict

Saint Joseph, Minnesota
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, College of Saint Benedict did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Saint Joseph, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s natural sciences students in 2019-2020.

CSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for College of Saint Benedict is $17,956 for bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Natural Sciences at College of Saint Benedict

#10

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Dominican University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 22 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dominican U, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dominican University is $17,586 for bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The 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 more about Natural Sciences at Dominican U

#11

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#5 in overall quality

Temple University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Temple University is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 14 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Temple did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Temple University is $18,879 for bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 full report on Natural Sciences at Temple

#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is $14,918 for Bachelor’s Degree Natural Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Natural Sciences at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

#13

Oklahoma Baptist University

Shawnee, Oklahoma
#16 in overall quality

Oklahoma Baptist University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. OBU is located in Shawnee, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OBU, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $19,373 for bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend OBU.

Read more about Natural Sciences at OBU

#14

Mount Saint Mary College

Newburgh, New York
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Mount Saint Mary College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Mount Saint Mary College is a small school located in Newburgh, New York that handed out 1 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Mount Saint Mary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mount Saint Mary is $18,636 for Bachelor’s Degree Natural Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Mount Saint Mary College Natural Sciences Report

#15

Pepperdine University

Malibu, California
#8 in overall quality

Pepperdine University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Malibu, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, Pepperdine has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pepperdine is $29,593 for Bachelor’s Degree Natural Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Natural Sciences at Pepperdine University

#16

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

Loyola Marymount University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Loyola Marymount University is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.

Loyola Marymount also took the #2 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Marymount is $35,166 for bachelor’s degree natural sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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 Natural Sciences at Loyola Marymount University

#17

Hofstra University

Hempstead, New York
#10 in overall quality

Hofstra University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Hofstra University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Hempstead, New York. It awarded 5 bachelors’s natural sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Hofstra, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $30,662 for Bachelor’s Degree Natural Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Hofstra University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Natural Sciences at Hofstra

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 Agsftw.

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You