Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics in Tennessee

8 Ranked Colleges
106 Degrees Awarded
$15,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor's in Tennessee

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Tennessee, there were 161 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $22,628 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 106 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent physics programs, but they also 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee” 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. 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 a Bachelor’s in Tennessee

The colleges and universities below are the best for tennessee bachelor’s degree physics students.

Top 8 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics in Tennessee

#1

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville, Tennessee
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Tennessee Technological University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Cookeville, Tennessee, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Tennessee Tech University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend Tennessee Tech University is $15,929 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Tennessee Tech University Physics Report

#2

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Middle Tennessee State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee. Middle Tennessee State University is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

Middle Tennessee State University also took the #4 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Middle Tennessee State University is $12,464 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.

Read more about Physics at Middle Tennessee State University

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #3 spot on the list. UT Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 28 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Knoxville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Knoxville is $18,825 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Physics at UT Knoxville

#4

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, Tennessee
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Tennessee State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. East Tennessee State University is a public institution located in Johnson City, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ETSU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend East Tennessee State University is $14,332 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.

Full East Tennessee State University Physics Report

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga is a fairly large public school situated in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It awarded 3 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Chattanooga also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga is $12,952 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.

Read more about Physics at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

#6

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of Memphis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. University of Memphis is a large school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 4 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UofM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend UofM is $13,248 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.

Read full report on Physics at UofM

#7

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, Tennessee
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Austin Peay State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. Austin Peay State University is a fairly large school located in Clarksville, Tennessee that handed out 7 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Austin Peay State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend Austin Peay State University is $13,692 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.

Read more about Physics at Austin Peay State University

#8

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#1 in overall quality

Vanderbilt University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #8. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 9 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $19,432 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Physics students.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, 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%.

Full Vanderbilt University 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.

Credits

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You