2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 52,879 people earned their degree in physical sciences, making the major the 18th most popular in the United States. 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 Iowa, there were 490 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $25,510 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physical sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physical sciences programs and cost less that 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Physical Sciences Schools

The physical sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa

#1

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$10,843 Average Net Price

$46,410 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k. Iowa State University is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 149 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $10,843 for Iowa Physical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Iowa State University.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full Iowa State University Physical Sciences Report

#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$12,495 Average Net Price

$39,900 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k. UNI is a medium-sized school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 29 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UNI has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $12,495 for Iowa Physical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Northern Iowa.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 86%.

Full University of Northern Iowa Physical Sciences Report

#3

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$17,630 Average Net Price

$34,644 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Luther College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decorah, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Luther also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Luther is $17,630 for Iowa Physical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Luther College

• Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $30-$48k)

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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