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2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

12 Ranked Colleges
1,054 Degrees Awarded
$13,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

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 Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 Virginia, there were 1,484 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,054 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Physical Sciences 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 Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

#1

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #1 spot on the list. William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 107 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

William & Mary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $4,963 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend William & Mary.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physical Sciences at William & Mary

#2

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Virginia is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 125 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, University of Virginia has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus is $11,696 for virginia bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, 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 97%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Virginia

#3

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 179 students in 2019-2020.

Virginia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $14,010 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full Virginia Tech Physical Sciences Report

#4

Virginia Military Institute

Lexington, Virginia
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Military Institute. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. Virginia Military Institute is a small school located in Lexington, Virginia that handed out 19 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

VMI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for VMI is $6,604 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full VMI Physical Sciences Report

#5

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #5 spot on the list. JMU is a large school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 69 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

JMU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend JMU is $15,726 for virginia bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at JMU

#6

Radford University

Radford, Virginia
#11 in overall quality

Radford University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Radford is located in Radford, Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 41 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

Radford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Radford is $12,355 for virginia bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Radford University

#7

Christopher Newport University

Newport News, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

Christopher Newport University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Newport News, Virginia, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

CNU also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $17,522 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CNU.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at CNU

#8 in overall quality

Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 133 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

VCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $17,529 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend VCU.

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%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at VCU

#9

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, Virginia
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of Mary Washington did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, this small public school awarded 58 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMW, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $14,997 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMW.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Mary Washington

#10

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia
#9 in overall quality

George Mason University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. George Mason University is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 70 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

GMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for George Mason University is $17,060 for virginia bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, 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 86%.

Full George Mason University Physical Sciences Report

#11

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, Virginia
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Bridgewater College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Bridgewater College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bridgewater, Virginia. It awarded 12 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Bridgewater also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $14,634 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Bridgewater.

Full Bridgewater Physical Sciences Report

#12

Roanoke College

Salem, Virginia
#10 in overall quality

Roanoke College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Salem, Virginia, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Roanoke, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Roanoke College is $19,874 for virginia bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.

Full Roanoke College Physical Sciences Report

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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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