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2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

13 Ranked Colleges
1,704 Degrees Awarded
$22,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Illinois, there were 1,704 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $44,790 and $21,894 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” 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. 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 in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois physical sciences students with aid.

Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences in Illinois (With Aid)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 450 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for illinois 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 65 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois physical sciences students with aid list, SIUE has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $14,423 for Illinois Physical Sciences students with aid.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Physical Sciences Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 80 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $13,312 for illinois physical sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 UIC

#4

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 124 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $24,664 for Illinois Physical Sciences students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Northwestern University Physical Sciences Report

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 87 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $18,259 for illinois physical sciences students with aid per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Northern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 40 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois physical sciences students with aid list, SIUC has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for illinois physical sciences students with aid.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at SIUC

#7

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 52 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

WIU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,210 for Illinois Physical Sciences students with aid per year to attend Western Illinois University.

Full WIU Physical Sciences Report

#8

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 77 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois physical sciences students with aid list, Illinois State has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $20,895 for illinois physical sciences students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Illinois State

Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Illinois Institute of Technology is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 53 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois physical sciences students with aid list, Illinois Tech has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Tech is $22,831 for illinois physical sciences students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Illinois Tech

#10

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 280 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $27,315 for Illinois Physical Sciences students with aid per year to attend UChicago.

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 student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Chicago Physical Sciences Report

#11

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Columbia is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $31,099 for Illinois Physical Sciences students with aid.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Columbia

#12

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $30,090 for illinois physical sciences students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at DePaul University

#13

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 43 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Chicago, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for illinois physical sciences students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Loyola University Chicago Physical Sciences Report

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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