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2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region

16 Ranked Colleges
2,881 Degrees Awarded
$18,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region

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 the Plains States Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 the Plains States region, there were 2,881 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,796 and $23,945 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 16 colleges that offered 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Physical Sciences Schools

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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 in the Plains States Region” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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 the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region physical sciences students.

Top 16 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Plains States Region

1

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 the Plains States Region. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 129 students in 2020-2021.

Iowa State also took the #2 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $16,002 for plains states region physical sciences students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Iowa State

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Missouri State University - Springfield. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. Missouri State University - Springfield is a large school located in Springfield, Missouri that handed out 119 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region physical sciences students list, Missouri State has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Missouri State is $16,718 for Plains States Region Physical Sciences students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Missouri State Physical Sciences Report

3
Lindenwood University crest
Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, Missouri

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lindenwood University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. Lindenwood University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Charles, Missouri. It awarded 22 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Lindenwood University also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Lindenwood University is $17,366 for plains states region physical sciences students.

The low undergrad 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%.

Full Lindenwood University Physical Sciences Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region. UMN Duluth is a public institution located in Duluth, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 84 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region physical sciences students list, UMN Duluth has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth is $18,505 for Plains States Region Physical Sciences students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UMN Duluth

5

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Morris landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Minnesota - Morris is located in Morris, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

UMN Morris also took the #14 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Morris is $10,529 for Plains States Region Physical Sciences students.

The low undergrad 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 full report on Physical Sciences at University of Minnesota - Morris

6

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 343 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $17,878 for Plains States Region Physical Sciences students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at UMN Twin Cities

7

Wichita State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. WSU is a public institution located in Wichita, Kansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

WSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $14,859 for Plains States Region Physical Sciences students per year to attend WSU.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Wichita State University

8
Winona State crest
Winona State University
Winona, Minnesota

With a ranking of #8, Winona State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. Winona, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.

Winona State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Winona State is $17,634 for Plains States Region Physical Sciences students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 Winona State University

9
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

University of Kansas did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school awarded 106 diplomas to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

KU also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $20,257 for Plains States Region Physical Sciences students per year to attend University of Kansas.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Kansas

10
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school awarded 132 degrees to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

Iowa also took the #4 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $19,401 for plains states region physical sciences students per year to attend University of Iowa.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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 Iowa Physical Sciences Report

11

University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #11. University of Missouri - Kansas City is a fairly large school located in Kansas City, Missouri that handed out 114 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

UMKC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Missouri - Kansas City is $15,702 for plains states region physical sciences students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UMKC Physical Sciences Report

12

With a ranking of #12, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 94 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mizzou, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - Columbia is $16,559 for plains states region physical sciences students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 more about Physical Sciences at Mizzou

13

University of Missouri - St Louis ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

UMSL also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - St Louis is $12,232 for Plains States Region Physical Sciences students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Missouri - St Louis Physical Sciences Report

14
Creighton crest
Creighton University
Omaha, Nebraska

Creighton University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #14. Creighton University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 42 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Creighton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Creighton is $31,218 for Plains States Region Physical Sciences students.

The school has an impressive undergrad 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 92%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Creighton

15
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, Minnesota

With a ranking of #15, St Olaf College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Northfield, Minnesota, and it awarded 47 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

St. Olaf did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $24,052 for Plains States Region Physical Sciences students per year to attend St Olaf College.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, 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.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at St. Olaf

16
Carleton crest
Carleton College
Northfield, Minnesota

Carleton College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Carleton is located in Northfield, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 61 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

Carleton also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $28,928 for Plains States Region Physical Sciences students per year to attend Carleton.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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 undergraduate students.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Carleton College

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