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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Science

12 Ranked Colleges
261 Degrees Awarded
$18,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 4,159 people earned their degree in physical science, making the major the 154th most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 261 physical science graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physical science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physical science programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the physical science 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 Physical Science Schools

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 Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Science

#1

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kansas State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Manhattan, Kansas, this large public school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at K -State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Physical Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend K -State is $18,285 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical 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.

Read more about Physical Science at K -State

#2

Rowan University

Glassboro, New Jersey
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Rowan University landed the #2 spot on the list. Rowan is a fairly large public school situated in Glassboro, New Jersey. It awarded 2 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Rowan also took the #7 spot in our “Best Physical Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rowan is $25,454 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.

Full Rowan Physical Science Report

#11 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Physical Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $5,464 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Fresno Physical Science Report

#4

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

Wazzu also made our “Best Physical Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $16,358 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students per year to attend Wazzu.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Science at Wazzu

#5

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, Kentucky
#10 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Kentucky University landed the #5 spot on the list. WKU is a fairly large school located in Bowling Green, Kentucky that handed out 3 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

WKU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Physical Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Kentucky University is $11,962 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.

Read more about Physical Science at Western Kentucky University

#4 in overall quality

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #6. University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is a large public school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 9 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree physical sciences students list, Pitt has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Physical Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $27,938 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students per year to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, 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 93%.

Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Physical Science Report

#8 in overall quality

Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. ASU - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 49 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree physical sciences students list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Physical Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for ASU - Tempe is $11,706 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Physical Science at ASU - Tempe

#12 in overall quality

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #8. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 2 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stan State, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Physical Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $6,019 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Stanislaus Physical Science Report

#9

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree physical sciences students list, Michigan State has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Physical Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $19,173 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Science at Michigan State University

#10

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, New York
#1 in overall quality

Rochester Institute of Technology came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rochester, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

RIT also made our “Best Physical Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Rochester Institute of Technology is $33,167 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 RIT Physical Science Report

#11

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Physical Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $18,186 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Science at UC Santa Cruz

#12

Emory University

Atlanta, Georgia
#3 in overall quality

Emory University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree physical sciences students list, Emory has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Physical Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Emory is $23,734 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%. 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Physical Science at Emory University

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.

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