2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid
24
Ranked Colleges
2,214
Degrees Awarded
$18,300
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 2,214 people earned their degree in natural sciences, making the major the 208th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, natural sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $25,745 and had an average of $18,648 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 24 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid.
Top 24 Best Value Colleges for Natural Sciences (With Aid)
Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Puerto Rico - Cayey landed the #1 spot on the list. UPR 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPR Cayey, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UPR Cayey is $6,043 for Natural Sciences students with aid.
Read more about Natural Sciences at University of Puerto Rico - Cayey
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American Public University System. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid. American Military University is located in Charles Town, West Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.
American Military University also took the #8 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for American Military University is $10,563 for natural sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Natural Sciences at American Public University System
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kansas State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Manhattan, Kansas, and it awarded 84 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our natural sciences students with aid list, K -State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Kansas State University is $18,433 for natural sciences students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Full K -State Natural Sciences Report
Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, and it awarded 27 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Colorado State also made our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $18,679 for natural sciences students with aid per year to attend Colorado State.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Natural Sciences at Colorado State University - Fort Collins
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at El Paso. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid. The University of Texas at El Paso is a public institution located in El Paso, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UTEP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at El Paso is $9,000 for Natural Sciences students with aid.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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.
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology also took the #18 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is $14,494 for natural sciences students with aid.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
With a ranking of #7, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 6 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,107 for Natural Sciences students with aid per year to attend Arizona State University - Tempe.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Natural Sciences at Arizona State University - Tempe
University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.
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 aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Natural Sciences at University of Arizona
With a ranking of #9, Northeastern State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. NSU is a medium-sized public school situated in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It awarded 4 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
NSU also made our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $10,094 for natural sciences students with aid per year to attend Northeastern State University.
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
University of Alaska Fairbanks ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Alaska Fairbanks is a public institution located in Fairbanks, Alaska. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our natural sciences students with aid list, UAF has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Alaska Fairbanks is $10,510 for natural sciences students with aid.
Read more about Natural Sciences at UAF
With a ranking of #11, University of Wyoming did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Laramie, Wyoming, this fairly large public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified ’s natural sciences students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW is $11,085 for Natural Sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at UW
Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Virginia Commonwealth University is a large school located in Richmond, Virginia that handed out 14 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our natural sciences students with aid list, VCU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $20,490 for Natural Sciences students with aid per year to attend Virginia Commonwealth University.
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%.
Read more about Natural Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University
Dominican University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 28 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our natural sciences students with aid list, Dominican U has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,645 for Natural Sciences students with aid per year to attend Dominican University.
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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Dominican U Natural Sciences Report
With a ranking of #14, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 8 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $16,218 for natural sciences students with aid.
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%.
Full Chico State Natural Sciences Report
Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Missouri State University - Springfield is a large school located in Springfield, Missouri that handed out 11 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Missouri State also made our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend Missouri State University - Springfield is $16,718 for natural sciences students with aid.
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 University - Springfield
With a ranking of #16, Arkansas State University - Newport did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. ASUN is a small school located in Newport, Arkansas that handed out 4 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
ASUN also made our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $8,530 for natural sciences students with aid per year to attend Arkansas State University - Newport.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full ASUN Natural Sciences Report
University of Nebraska at Omaha came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UNOMAHA is a fairly large school located in Omaha, Nebraska that handed out 5 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNOMAHA, the school also landed 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 with aid.
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 more about Natural Sciences at University of Nebraska at Omaha
Johns Hopkins University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 26 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins also made our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $23,428 for natural sciences students with aid per year to attend Johns Hopkins.
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 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.
Read more about Natural Sciences at Johns Hopkins University
With a ranking of #19, Temple University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s natural sciences degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
Temple did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Temple is $23,888 for Natural Sciences students with aid.
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 full report on Natural Sciences at Temple University
With a ranking of #20, College of Saint Benedict did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. CSB is located in Saint Joseph, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSB, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $25,954 for Natural Sciences students with aid per year to attend College of Saint Benedict.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at College of Saint Benedict
With a ranking of #21, Boston College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 ’s 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. It costs about $36,599 for natural sciences students with aid per year to attend Boston College.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at Boston College
With a ranking of #22, Oklahoma Baptist University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. OBU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
OBU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for OBU is $21,668 for natural sciences students with aid.
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%.
Full OBU Natural Sciences Report
Hofstra University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Hempstead, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s natural sciences degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Hofstra, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Hofstra University is $33,682 for Natural Sciences students with aid.
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 full report on Natural Sciences at Hofstra
Loyola Marymount University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 48 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Loyola Marymount did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Natural Sciences Schools” list. It costs about $44,467 for natural sciences students with aid per year to attend Loyola Marymount University.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Loyola Marymount 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.
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