2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s
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” 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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,542 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 327 colleges that offered 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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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” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. 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
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics
Out of the 327 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #1 spot on the list. Brigham Young University - Provo is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 27 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Provo is $13,322 for bachelor’s degree physics students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Idaho. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Rexburg, Idaho is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Idaho is $7,167 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s list. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 34 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, UW - La Crosse is in the top on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $14,580 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.
Read more about Physics at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Out of the 327 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is a medium-sized public school situated in River Falls, Wisconsin. It awarded 20 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,748 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 327 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Rapid City, South Dakota, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for SD Mines is $19,815 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,423 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students per year to attend SIUE.
With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s list. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a fairly large school located in Whitewater, Wisconsin that handed out 7 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,249 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. SRU is a medium-sized school located in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania that handed out 7 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend SRU is $19,926 for bachelor’s degree physics students.
With a ranking of #9, Truman State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Kirksville, Missouri, this small public school handed out 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Truman State is $12,462 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a medium-sized school located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin that handed out 8 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,465 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students per year to attend UW - Stevens Point.
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is $16,020 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.
Read full report on Physics at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
With a ranking of #12, University of Wyoming did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Laramie, Wyoming, this fairly large public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,159 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students per year to attend University of Wyoming.
The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 ranking of #13, Western Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Western Michigan University is $19,433 for bachelor’s degree physics students.
With a ranking of #14, Southern Arkansas University Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Southern Arkansas University Main Campus is a small public school situated in Magnolia, Arkansas. It awarded 24 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Southern Arkansas University Main Campus is $14,270 for bachelor’s degree physics students.
Read full report on Physics at Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
University of Southern Mississippi landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $14,923 for bachelor’s degree physics students per year to attend University of Southern Mississippi.
University of North Georgia did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #16. University of North Georgia is a public institution located in Dahlonega, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of North Georgia is $10,396 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.
University of Minnesota - Morris did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in Morris, Minnesota, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,412 for bachelor’s degree physics students per year to attend UMN Morris.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UW Oshkosh is a public institution located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $15,463 for bachelor’s degree physics students.
With a ranking of #19, Salisbury University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Salisbury University is located in Salisbury, Maryland and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
Salisbury also claimed a top spot on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $19,617 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students per year to attend Salisbury.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Northern Iowa landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $15,620 for bachelor’s degree physics students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #21, University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UMN Duluth is $17,067 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.
University of North Alabama landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UNA is a public institution located in Florence, Alabama. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UNA is $14,130 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.
Georgia Southern University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. GaSou is a large public school situated in Statesboro, Georgia. It awarded 11 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for GaSou is $15,536 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.
University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s list. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 41 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,355 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students per year to attend USF Tampa.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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%.
Tarleton State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Stephenville, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Tarleton State University is $18,979 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.
Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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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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- Credit for the banner image above goes to A. T. Service.
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