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2022 Best Value Colleges for Physics (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

13 Ranked Colleges
492 Degrees Awarded
$15,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 14,123 people earned their degree in physics, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $42,475 and had an average of $22,421 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 492 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,100 and $21,278 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in physics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality physics programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Physics Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 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 Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Physics (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 26 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $3,995 for Illinois Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Physics at Northwestern University

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 103 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $2,800 for illinois physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 Physics at UChicago

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 121 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $8,464 for Illinois Physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIUC.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Physics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #4 spot on the list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $9,938 for illinois physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Read more about Physics at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 15 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #9 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $11,185 for illinois physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Physics Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #10 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $14,306 for Illinois Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full SIUC Physics Report

#7

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 18 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also made our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $15,861 for Illinois Physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend NIU.

Read full report on Physics at Northern Illinois University

#8

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 29 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $14,999 for Illinois Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low 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%.

Full Illinois State Physics Report

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 10 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, WIU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $14,526 for Illinois Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Physics at Western Illinois University

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 19 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also took the #5 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Tech is $18,720 for illinois physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois Tech Physics Report

#11

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Columbia College Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 3 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also made our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $27,397 for illinois physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Columbia College Chicago Physics Report

#12

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 17 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Chicago is $29,788 for Illinois Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Loyola Chicago Physics Report

#13

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2019-2020.

DePaul also took the #7 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $25,842 for illinois physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at DePaul 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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