Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k

11 Ranked Colleges
308 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Virginia, there were 406 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,100 and $25,999 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 308 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 11 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the physics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia

#1

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. William & Mary is a medium-sized school located in Williamsburg, Virginia that handed out 29 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

William & Mary also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $11,721 for virginia bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.

Read full report on Physics at William & Mary

#2

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia is $14,671 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at University of Virginia

#3

Virginia Military Institute

Lexington, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Military Institute. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Virginia Military Institute is a small public school situated in Lexington, Virginia. It awarded 12 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

VMI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Military Institute is $10,362 for virginia bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.

Read full report on Physics at VMI

#4

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 #4 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k. Virginia Tech is a public institution located in Blacksburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 75 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Virginia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $19,067 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, 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%.

Read more about Physics at Virginia Tech

#5

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

JMU also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend JMU is $19,843 for virginia bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full JMU Physics Report

Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

VCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $20,868 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend VCU.

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 Virginia Commonwealth University

#7

Radford University

Radford, Virginia

Radford University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. Radford University is located in Radford, Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

Radford also took the #10 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $15,546 for virginia bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Radford.

Read more about Physics at Radford

#8

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

George Mason University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this large public school handed out 13 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GMU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for GMU is $20,468 for virginia bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $48-$75k.

The 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Physics at GMU

#9

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, Virginia
#9 in overall quality

University of Mary Washington came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UMW is a small public school situated in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It awarded 6 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UMW also took the #9 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMW is $19,203 for virginia bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at UMW

#10

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, Virginia

Bridgewater College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Bridgewater is located in Bridgewater, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

Bridgewater also took the #11 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bridgewater College is $16,843 for virginia bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Bridgewater Physics Report

#11

Roanoke College

Salem, Virginia
#7 in overall quality

Roanoke College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Roanoke College is a small school located in Salem, Virginia that handed out 9 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Roanoke also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Roanoke is $21,513 for virginia bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at Roanoke College

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.

Credits

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You