2023 Best Value Colleges for Physics (With Aid)
222
Ranked Colleges
13,674
Degrees Awarded
$11,500
Avg Net Price*
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 For Those Getting Aid” 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.
This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 222 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality physics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the physics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for physics students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Physics (With Aid)
Out of the 222 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 85 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Physics Schools” list. It costs about $12,894 for physics students with aid per year to attend Stanford University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national 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. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Stanford Physics Report
Out of the 222 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 262 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Physics Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,017 for Physics students with aid per year to attend UW Seattle.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UW Seattle Physics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 57 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UNC Chapel Hill is in the top on our “Best Physics Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $12,469 for Physics students with aid per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Physics Report
Out of the 222 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #4 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 144 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Physics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,234 for physics students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at UW - Madison
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 106 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC also took the #16 spot in our “Best Physics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $14,321 for physics students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Physics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State LA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 15 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $3,302 for physics students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Physics Report
With a ranking of #7, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 118 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.
U-M also took the #5 spot in our “Best Physics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $14,878 for physics students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 Michigan - Ann Arbor Physics Report
University of California - San Diego ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 82 students in 2020-2021.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Physics Schools” list. It costs about $15,240 for Physics students with aid per year to attend UCSD.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Physics at University of California - San Diego
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 78 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Purdue is also in the top of our “Best Physics Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Physics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,377 for physics students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 Purdue
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 123 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Physics Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,023 for physics students with aid per year to attend UCLA.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UCLA Physics Report
University of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for UF is $5,135 for physics students with aid.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Physics at University of Florida
University of Arizona came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 162 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Physics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $13,358 for Physics students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Physics at University of Arizona
Hunter College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Hunter College is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 18 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Hunter College is $2,158 for physics students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Hunter College Physics Report
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 94 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Physics Schools” list. It costs about $17,878 for physics students with aid per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 199 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSB also made our “Best Physics Schools” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $16,252 for Physics students with aid per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full UCSB Physics Report
California State University - Long Beach came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $10,054 for Physics students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full CSULB Physics Report
University of California - Irvine ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 122 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Physics Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,209 for physics students with aid per year to attend University of California - Irvine.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UC Irvine Physics Report
With a ranking of #18, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $3,743 for Physics students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UT Rio Grande Valley Physics Report
Florida State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Florida State is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 62 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Florida State excels when it comes to physics quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Physics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $9,946 for physics students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Full Florida State Physics Report
University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school handed out 48 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend USF Tampa is $8,346 for physics students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 more about Physics at USF Tampa
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school handed out 111 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UT Austin also did well on our “Best Physics Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $18,350 for physics students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Physics at The University of Texas at Austin
Iowa State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 34 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Iowa State excels when it comes to physics quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $16,002 for physics students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Physics at Iowa State University
Brigham Young University - Provo ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. BYU is located in Provo, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 57 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.
On top of its placing in this ranking, BYU also did well on our “Best Physics Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Physics Schools” list. It costs about $13,474 for physics students with aid per year to attend BYU.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Physics at BYU
The City College of New York ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. CCNY is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend The City College of New York is $2,805 for physics students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Full The City College of New York Physics Report
California State University - Fullerton ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 35 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $8,003 for physics students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Physics at Cal State Fullerton
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