2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (With Aid)
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that 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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 652 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 50 colleges that offered a degree in engineering and applied physics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering and applied physics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the engineering and applied physics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
The applied physics school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (With Aid)
Out of the 50 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 77 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Out of the 50 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #2 spot on the list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for UT Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics 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 Engineering & Applied Physics at UT Rio Grande Valley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 3 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree applied physics students with aid list, UW - Madison has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,708 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid per year to attend UW - Madison.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. U-M is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 16 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
U-M also took the #5 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,336 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Out of the 50 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #5 spot on the list. Platteville, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s applied physics degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.
UW - Platteville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $15,718 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid per year to attend UW - Platteville.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at UW - Platteville
University of California - Berkeley came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s applied physics degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree applied physics students with aid list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $15,329 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at UC Berkeley
With a ranking of #7, Murray State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Murray, Kentucky, this medium-sized public school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s applied physics students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Murray State is $11,390 for bachelor’s degree applied physics students with aid.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Murray State University
With a ranking of #8, Dartmouth College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Dartmouth College is a medium-sized school located in Hanover, New Hampshire that handed out 2 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Dartmouth not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $33,574 for bachelor’s degree applied physics students with aid per year to attend Dartmouth College.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,312 for bachelor’s degree applied physics students with aid per year to attend UIC.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Chicago Engineering & Applied Physics Report
Cornell University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s applied physics students in 2019-2020.
Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Cornell is $40,126 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics 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 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #11, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 2 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,232 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid per year to attend University of California - San Diego.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at University of California - San Diego
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 22 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $17,616 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid per year to attend Ohio State.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Ohio State University - Main Campus
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Columbia also took the #8 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $23,306 for bachelor’s degree applied physics students with aid per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Columbia
Oakland University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Rochester Hills, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s applied physics degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,802 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid per year to attend Oakland.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Oakland University
With a ranking of #15, New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. NMSU Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Las Cruces, New Mexico that handed out 6 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $8,659 for bachelor’s degree applied physics students with aid.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at NMSU Main Campus
With a ranking of #16, University of Connecticut did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Storrs, Connecticut, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCONN, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCONN is $22,012 for bachelor’s degree applied physics students with aid.
The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California Institute of Technology landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Caltech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Caltech also took the #3 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of Technology is $24,274 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Maine came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Maine is located in Orono, Maine and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $17,558 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid per year to attend UMaine.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at University of Maine
With a ranking of #19, Arkansas Tech University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Arkansas Tech University is a fairly large school located in Russellville, Arkansas that handed out 1 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Arkansas Tech University is $10,772 for bachelor’s degree applied physics students with aid.
Full Arkansas Tech University Engineering & Applied Physics Report
University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UMN Duluth is a fairly large school located in Duluth, Minnesota that handed out 2 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UMN Duluth is $17,067 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.
University of Nevada - Reno landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Nevada - Reno is a large public school situated in Reno, Nevada. It awarded 2 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UNR is $15,081 for bachelor’s degree applied physics students with aid.
Full University of Nevada - Reno Engineering & Applied Physics Report
Loras College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Loras is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dubuque, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Loras also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend Loras College is $20,676 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid.
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%.
University of Colorado Boulder did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. University of Colorado Boulder is a large school located in Boulder, Colorado that handed out 27 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $21,680 for bachelor’s degree applied physics students with aid per year to attend CU - Boulder.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #24, Brown University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s applied physics students in 2019-2020.
Brown also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Brown University is $29,392 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Colorado School of Mines ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Golden, Colorado, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Mines also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Colorado School of Mines is $26,750 for Bachelor’s Degree Applied Physics students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Colorado School of Mines Engineering & Applied Physics Report
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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.
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