2023 Best Value Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
14
Ranked Colleges
342
Degrees Awarded
$22,400
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Engineering & Applied Physics is the 448th most popular major in the country with 994 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 342 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in engineering and applied physics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent engineering and applied physics programs, but they also 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to 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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region applied physics students with aid.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #1 spot on the list. UW - Platteville is a medium-sized school located in Platteville, Wisconsin that handed out 22 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region applied physics students with aid list, UW - Platteville has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Platteville is $14,565 for great lakes region applied physics students with aid.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at UW - Platteville
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 #2 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $14,321 for great lakes region applied physics students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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 more about Engineering & Applied Physics at UIUC
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M also took the #2 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $14,878 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 more about Engineering & Applied Physics at U-M
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $16,845 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national 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
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 7 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $23,279 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students with aid per year to attend Northwestern.
The undergraduate 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Northwestern
With a ranking of #6, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,234 for great lakes region applied physics students with aid per year to attend UW - Madison.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at UW - Madison
Oakland University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region applied physics students with aid list, Oakland has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Oakland University is $13,449 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Oakland
With a ranking of #8, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.
UIC also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,214 for great lakes region applied physics students with aid.
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%.
Full UIC Engineering & Applied Physics Report
Miami University - Oxford ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Oxford, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.
Miami University - Oxford also took the #12 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Miami University - Oxford is $24,756 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Miami University - Oxford
With a ranking of #10, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Illinois Tech is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our great lakes region applied physics students with aid list, Illinois Tech has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $23,772 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students with aid per year to attend Illinois Tech.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 Engineering & Applied Physics at Illinois Institute of Technology
Case Western Reserve University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 5 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Case Western also took the #7 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $34,214 for great lakes region applied physics students with aid per year to attend Case Western.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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 93%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Case Western Reserve University
Marquette University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
Marquette did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $30,380 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students with aid per year to attend Marquette University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad 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 Marquette University
Kettering University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Kettering University is located in Flint, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
Kettering not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Kettering University is $33,472 for great lakes region applied physics students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Kettering University
Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Terre Haute, Indiana, and it awarded 3 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology is $38,975 for Great Lakes Region Applied Physics students with aid.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology
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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
- *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.
