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2023 Best Physics Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

10 Ranked Colleges
483 Degrees Awarded
$32,400 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Physics is the 68th most popular major in the country with 13,674 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.

Across Illinois, there were 483 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,413 and $21,886 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in physics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent physics programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the physics program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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.

Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois vets studying physics.

Top 10 Best Physics Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 106 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, UIUC supports 52,679 students, and 10 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Veteran Student Life Report

2
UChicago crest
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 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 102 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying physics list, UChicago has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Chicago supports 17,834 students, and 241 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 113 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,948. In addition to receiving other benefits, 58 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, 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 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 UChicago Veteran Student Life Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 26 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, University of Illinois at Chicago supports 33,518 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,878. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

Full UIC Veteran Student Life Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 22 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying physics list, Illinois State has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Illinois State supports 20,720 students, and 530 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 163 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,997. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Illinois State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Full Illinois State Veteran Student Life Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics list. Illinois Institute of Technology is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 15 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Illinois Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 6,325 students enrolled at Illinois Institute of Technology, 83 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 52 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,905. In addition to receiving other benefits, 14 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Illinois Institute of Technology offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read More…

6
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 21 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Chicago, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 16,893 students enrolled at Loyola University Chicago, 261 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 165 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,263. On top of their other funding sources, 78 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Loyola University Chicago offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 85%.

Full Loyola University Chicago Veteran Student Life Report

7

Western Illinois University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 12 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying physics list, WIU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 7,490 students enrolled at Western Illinois University, 330 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 62 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,652. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Read More…

8
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics ranking, coming in at #8. Columbia is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

Columbia also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 140 of the 6,769 students enrolled at Columbia College Chicago were GI Bill® students, of which 98 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,151. In addition to receiving other benefits, 25 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Columbia College Chicago]](/colleges/columbia-college-chicago/student-life/veterans/)

9
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics ranking. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 47 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Northwestern University supports 22,603 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $399. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Northwestern Veteran Student Life Report

10

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Physics ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying physics list, NIU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 480 of the 16,769 students enrolled at NIU were GI Bill® students, of which 207 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,822. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Northern Illinois University]](/colleges/northern-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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