2024 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences in Virginia
10
Ranked Colleges
1,478
Degrees Awarded
$20,400
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 in Virginia” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Physical Sciences is the 19th most popular major in the country with 50,306 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,880 and had an average of $22,620 in loans still to pay off.
Across Virginia, there were 1,478 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,871 and $21,765 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking looked at 10 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.
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.
More Ways to Rank Physical Sciences Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia
The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia physical sciences students.
Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences in Virginia
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #1 on our 2024 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia list. Virginia Tech is a large school located in Blacksburg, Virginia that handed out 205 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $21,301 for virginia physical sciences students.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Virginia Tech Physical Sciences Report
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #2 spot on the list. Virginia Commonwealth University is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 149 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
VCU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Commonwealth University is $20,490 for virginia physical sciences students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Virginia Commonwealth University Physical Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school handed out 241 diplomas to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $22,006 for virginia physical sciences students per year to attend University of Virginia.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 full report on Physical Sciences at University of Virginia
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Richard Bland College of William and Mary landed the #4 spot on the list. Richard Bland College of William and Mary is a public institution located in South Prince George, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 157 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia physical sciences students list, RBC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $13,322 for virginia physical sciences students per year to attend RBC.
Full Richard Bland College of William and Mary Physical Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this large public school handed out 95 diplomas to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
GMU also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for GMU is $19,551 for Virginia Physical Sciences students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at George Mason University
James Madison University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia list. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 89 students in 2020-2021.
JMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend James Madison University is $22,562 for Virginia Physical Sciences students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full James Madison University Physical Sciences Report
Radford University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia ranking, coming in at #7. Radford is a medium-sized school located in Radford, Virginia that handed out 34 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Radford also took the #10 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Radford University is $16,505 for virginia physical sciences students.
Full Radford Physical Sciences Report
Christopher Newport University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Newport News, Virginia, this small public school awarded 37 degrees to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CNU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CNU is $25,855 for virginia physical sciences students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full CNU Physical Sciences Report
University of Mary Washington did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia ranking, coming in at #9. UMW is a public institution located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 53 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UMW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $23,193 for virginia physical sciences students per year to attend UMW.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at UMW
William & Mary came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, this medium-sized public school awarded 120 degrees to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia physical sciences students list, William & Mary has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $19,593 for virginia physical sciences students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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
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