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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

13 Ranked Colleges
339 Degrees Awarded
$23,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking.

Physics is the 67th most popular major in the country with 14,123 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 339 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in physics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physics programs and 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Physics 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 Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” list to help you make the college 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #2 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $16,784 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Physics at Northwestern

#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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $17,929 for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UChicago.

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. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full University of Chicago Physics Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 68 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k list, UIUC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $21,998 for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read full report on Physics at UIUC

#8 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #4 spot on the list. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k list, SIUE has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $18,928 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Physics Report

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $21,425 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Physics at Northern Illinois University

#9 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $20,270 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Read more about Physics at University of Illinois at Chicago

#10 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $20,698 for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Physics at SIUC

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Institute of Technology is $24,888 for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Physics at Illinois Tech

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #9. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 3 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k list, WIU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $20,181 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Physics at WIU

#10

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 29 bachelors’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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $25,379 for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Illinois State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at Illinois State

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 6 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also took the #7 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $30,877 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at DePaul

#12

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 17 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Chicago is $36,700 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 Loyola Chicago Physics Report

#13

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 3 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $33,864 for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Columbia Physics Report

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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