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2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

9 Ranked Colleges
353 Degrees Awarded
$14,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 13,674 people earned their degree in physics, making the major the 68th most popular in the United States. 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree 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.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

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

Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Physics (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

1
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #1 spot on the list. Williamsburg, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 38 students in 2020-2021.

William & Mary not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $7,507 for virginia physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 William & Mary Physics Report

2
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 59 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $10,063 for virginia physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 University of Virginia Physics Report

3
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, 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 $30-$48k. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 62 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Virginia Tech has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $14,003 for virginia physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at Virginia Tech

4
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Bridgewater College
Bridgewater, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bridgewater College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Bridgewater, Virginia, and it awarded 6 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bridgewater, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bridgewater College is $18,579 for virginia physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at Bridgewater

5
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #5 spot on the 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 $30-$48k list, GMU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for GMU is $15,979 for Virginia Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full GMU Physics Report

6

With a ranking of #6, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Virginia Commonwealth University is a large public school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 23 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

VCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Commonwealth University is $15,891 for Virginia Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full VCU Physics Report

7
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

With a ranking of #7, Radford University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Radford, Virginia, this medium-sized public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

Radford also took the #9 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $13,026 for virginia physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Radford University.

Read more about Physics at Radford

8
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

James Madison University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. James Madison University is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

JMU also made our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for JMU is $14,985 for virginia physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at JMU

9
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Christopher Newport University
Newport News, Virginia

Christopher Newport University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Christopher Newport University is a public institution located in Newport News, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, CNU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $15,990 for virginia physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Christopher Newport University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at CNU

Notes and References

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