2023 Best Value Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region

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 Natural Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 2,214 people earned their degree in natural sciences, making the major the 208th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, natural sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $25,745 and had an average of $18,648 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southeast region, there were 151 natural sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,445 and $24,105 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 2 colleges that offer a degree in natural sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality natural 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 natural 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.

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 Natural Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region natural sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 2 Best Value Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region

1

American Public University System
Charles Town, West Virginia

#2 in overall quality

$10,885 Average Net Price

$51,395 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, American Public University System landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Charles Town, West Virginia, and it awarded 32 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

American Military University also took the #2 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $10,885 for southeast region natural sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend American Military University.

With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full American Public University System Natural Sciences Report

2

Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia

#1 in overall quality

$15,891 Average Net Price

$47,786 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. VCU is a public institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

VCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Natural Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Commonwealth University is $15,891 for Southeast Region Natural Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Natural Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University

• Best Value Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $30-$48k)

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 Agsftw.