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2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

31 Ranked Colleges
2,830 Degrees Awarded
$9,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Physical Sciences is the 18th most popular major in the country with 52,879 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $38,122 and had an average of $22,339 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 5,739 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,953 and $20,144 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,830 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 31 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physical sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality physical sciences 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 physical sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Physical Sciences Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” 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 Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

#12 in overall quality

Out of the 31 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Edinburg, Texas, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Rio Grande Valley, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Rio Grande Valley is $2,993 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 195 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M College Station, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - College Station is $11,454 for southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Texas A&M University - College Station

#11 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Texas. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of North Texas is a large school located in Denton, Texas that handed out 57 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UNT has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNT is $8,521 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UNT

#4

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Arizona. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 218 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona also took the #4 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $10,562 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Arizona

#5

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas Tech University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Texas Tech University is located in Lubbock, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 107 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

Texas Tech also took the #6 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $12,317 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Texas Tech University Physical Sciences Report

#18 in overall quality

The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

UTSA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio is $10,516 for southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UTSA

#8 in overall quality

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UT Permian Basin is a public institution located in Odessa, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Permian Basin has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Permian Basin is $7,889 for southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. ASU - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 189 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $7,044 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ASU - Tempe.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Arizona State University - Tempe

#2 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 296 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also took the #2 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,203 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Physical Sciences Report

#10

University of Houston

Houston, Texas
#5 in overall quality

University of Houston did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 111 students in 2019-2020.

UH also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for UH is $10,203 for southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physical Sciences at UH

#15 in overall quality

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It awarded 35 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

OSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,669 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend OSU.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at OSU

#12

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, Texas
#22 in overall quality

MSU Texas landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. MSU Texas is a medium-sized school located in Wichita Falls, Texas that handed out 26 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, MSU Texas has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend MSU Texas is $7,703 for southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full MSU Texas Physical Sciences Report

#10 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. UT Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 71 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Dallas has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Dallas is $10,857 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full The University of Texas at Dallas Physical Sciences Report

The University of Texas at El Paso landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in El Paso, Texas, this large public school handed out 43 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at El Paso is $7,092 for southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso

#15

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas
#14 in overall quality

Texas State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas State University is a public institution located in San Marcos, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas State, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,125 for southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas State.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Texas State

New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for NMSU Main Campus is $6,896 for southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Physical Sciences at NMSU Main Campus

Southeastern Oklahoma State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Durant, Oklahoma, this medium-sized public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University is $6,102 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Southeastern Oklahoma State University

#23 in overall quality

University of Houston - Downtown came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UH Downtown is located in Houston, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 40 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

UH Downtown also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #23. The yearly cost to attend University of Houston - Downtown is $5,065 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UH Downtown Physical Sciences Report

#19

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas
#24 in overall quality

Sam Houston State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Huntsville, Texas, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SHSU, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sam Houston State University is $10,561 for southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Physical Sciences at SHSU

#20

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona
#25 in overall quality

Northern Arizona University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, this large public school awarded 144 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

NAU also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $9,251 for southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NAU.

Read more about Physical Sciences at NAU

#13 in overall quality

University of Central Oklahoma ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCO is located in Edmond, Oklahoma and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

UCO also took the #13 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCO is $12,297 for southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of Central Oklahoma Physical Sciences Report

#19 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Arlington ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Arlington, Texas, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Arlington has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,811 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Arlington.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UT Arlington

Stephen F Austin State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Stephen F Austin State University is a fairly large school located in Nacogdoches, Texas that handed out 33 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stephen F Austin State University is $8,650 for southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full SFASU Physical Sciences Report

#16 in overall quality

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a large public school situated in Norman, Oklahoma. It awarded 125 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Oklahoma did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $16,675 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

#25

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas
#17 in overall quality

Tarleton State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Tarleton State University is located in Stephenville, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, Tarleton has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Tarleton State University is $15,604 for southwest region bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Tarleton

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to NASA.

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