2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k
9
Ranked Colleges
353
Degrees Awarded
$13,100
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Physics is the 68th most popular major in the country with 13,674 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $42,960 and had an average of $22,756 in loans still to pay off.
Across Virginia, there were 353 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $44,253 and $23,971 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent 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 physics program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The physics school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k”.
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. 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 Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Physics (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #1 spot on the list. William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.
William & Mary also made our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $5,972 for Virginia Physics students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full William & Mary Physics Report
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.
University of Virginia also made our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $12,476 for virginia physics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Read full report on Physics at University of Virginia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. Virginia Tech is a public institution located in Blacksburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 62 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $11,934 for virginia physics students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at Virginia Tech
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 31 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia physics students whose families make $0-$30k list, GMU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $14,781 for Virginia Physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend GMU.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Physics at GMU
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. VCU is a large school located in Richmond, Virginia that handed out 23 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
VCU also made our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $14,507 for virginia physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Virginia Commonwealth University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
Full VCU Physics Report
Bridgewater College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bridgewater is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bridgewater, Virginia. It awarded 6 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Bridgewater not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bridgewater is $16,714 for Virginia Physics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
Read more about Physics at Bridgewater College
James Madison University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. James Madison University is a large public school situated in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It awarded 17 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
JMU also made our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $14,288 for virginia physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend JMU.
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 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full JMU Physics Report
Radford University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Radford, Virginia, and it awarded 6 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Radford also made our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $11,420 for virginia physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Radford.
Read more about Physics at Radford
With a ranking of #9, Christopher Newport University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Newport News, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
CNU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend CNU is $15,862 for virginia physics students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at CNU
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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
college factual
_main_lecture_hall_1972.jpg){kind=link}