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

13 Ranked Colleges
492 Degrees Awarded
$23,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 $75-$110k” 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.

This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physics programs and cost less that 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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 in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

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

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

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 26 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #2 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $16,784 for Illinois 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%. 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 more about 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 $75-$110k. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 103 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,929 for illinois physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UChicago.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. 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.

Read full report on Physics at UChicago

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $18,928 for illinois physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full SIUE Physics Report

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #4 spot on the list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 121 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $21,998 for Illinois Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $21,425 for Illinois Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full NIU Physics Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #6. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 13 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois physics students whose families make $75-$110k list, SIUC has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $20,698 for illinois physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Physics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #7. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

UIC also made our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $20,270 for Illinois Physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UIC.

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 UIC Physics Report

Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Illinois Institute of Technology is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Institute of Technology is $24,888 for illinois 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Illinois Institute of Technology Physics Report

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also made our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $20,181 for Illinois Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Western Illinois University Physics Report

#10

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 29 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #6 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $25,379 for illinois physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Illinois State University.

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

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #11. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 9 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois physics students whose families make $75-$110k list, DePaul has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $30,877 for illinois physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend DePaul University.

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

#12

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #12. Loyola Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Loyola University Chicago is $36,700 for illinois 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 low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Loyola University Chicago

#13

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Columbia is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 3 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also took the #13 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College Chicago is $33,864 for Illinois Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Physics at Columbia

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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