2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
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 for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking.
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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 32,457 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 375 colleges that offered a degree in physical sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent physical sciences 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 physical sciences program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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 For Those Getting Aid” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 52 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 UT Rio Grande Valley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UNC Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 219 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UNC Chapel Hill also did well on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. It costs about $12,352 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 114 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
MIT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $16,636 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Massachusetts Institute of Technology Physical Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 459 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, UW Seattle is in the top on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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 more about Physical Sciences at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Out of the 375 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 50 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at California State University - Los Angeles
With a ranking of #6, Hunter College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in New York, New York, this large public school awarded 153 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Hunter is $2,490 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 City College of New York came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 47 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,385 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid per year to attend CCNY.
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 238 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid list, UW - Madison has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,708 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Physical Sciences Report
With a ranking of #9, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UT Permian Basin is a medium-sized public school situated in Odessa, Texas. It awarded 29 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is $10,092 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 98 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 California State University - Fullerton Physical Sciences Report
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 46 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - La Crosse is also in the top of our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. It costs about $14,580 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid per year to attend UW - La Crosse.
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 86%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Missouri University of Science and Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Missouri University of Science and Technology is located in Rolla, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 68 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Missouri University of Science and Technology also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $14,262 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid per year to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, 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%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at Missouri University of Science and Technology
University of Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school handed out 236 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UF is $6,302 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 309 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UIUC is also in the top of our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Dalton State College landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. DSC is located in Dalton, Georgia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Dalton State College is $6,543 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Dalton State College
Brigham Young University - Idaho ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. BYU - I is located in Rexburg, Idaho and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $7,167 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid per year to attend Brigham Young University - Idaho.
The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 Brigham Young University - Idaho Physical Sciences Report
Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 152 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, Purdue is in the top on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $13,986 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Purdue University - Main Campus Physical Sciences Report
California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 39 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $5,318 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.
West Virginia University Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. West Virginia University Tech is a small public school situated in Beckley, West Virginia. It awarded 1 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $10,569 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid per year to attend West Virginia University Institute of Technology.
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 255 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UC Irvine also did well on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $14,783 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid per year to attend UC Irvine.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
Harvard University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 112 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid list, Harvard has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard University is $15,386 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
California State University - Long Beach landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 97 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 89%.
Full California State University - Long Beach Physical Sciences Report
University of Wyoming ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UW is a fairly large public school situated in Laramie, Wyoming. It awarded 88 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wyoming is $12,159 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Wyoming
With a ranking of #24, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 105 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #25, Augusta University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Augusta University is a public institution located in Augusta, Georgia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,136 for bachelor’s degree physical sciences students with aid per year to attend Augusta University.
Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
| 52 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY |
| 53 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 53 | University of North Alabama | Florence, AL |
| 55 | Marshall University | Huntington, WV |
| 56 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX |
| 57 | University of North Georgia | Dahlonega, GA |
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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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