2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 941 people earned their degree in engineering and applied physics, making the major the 440th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 97 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 94 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in engineering and applied physics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great engineering and applied physics programs and 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 engineering and applied physics program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$21,998 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $21,998 for illinois bachelor’s degree applied physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at UIUC

#2

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$20,270 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $20,270 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at UIC

#3

Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$24,888 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s applied physics students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $24,888 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Illinois Tech.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Illinois Tech

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $75-$110k)

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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