2023 Best Value Colleges for Physics (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina
8
Ranked Colleges
356
Degrees Awarded
$9,100
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Physics Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 13,674 people earned their degree in physics, making the major the 68th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $42,960 and had an average of $22,756 in loans still to pay off.
Across North Carolina, there were 356 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $43,424 and $22,057 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered a degree in physics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent physics programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the physics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Physics Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Physics Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Physics Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physics Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Physics (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Physics Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 57 students in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Physics Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $3,753 for North Carolina Physics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Read full report on Physics at UNC Chapel Hill
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wake Forest University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and it awarded 17 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wake Forest University, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $10,401 for North Carolina Physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wake Forest University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read more about Physics at Wake Forest University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Carolina State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physics Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 60 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.
NC State also took the #3 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $7,283 for North Carolina Physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend North Carolina State University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, 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.
Full NC State Physics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Appalachian State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k list. Appalachian State University is a public institution located in Boone, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 45 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Appalachian State also made our “Best Physics Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Appalachian State is $7,354 for North Carolina Physics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Physics at Appalachian State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend East Carolina University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physics Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k. Greenville, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
ECU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Physics Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for East Carolina University is $11,260 for north carolina physics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Physics at East Carolina University
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a large public school situated in Charlotte, North Carolina. It awarded 35 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our north carolina physics students whose families make $0-$30k list, UNC Charlotte has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Charlotte is $12,751 for North Carolina Physics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at UNC Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Pembroke came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Pembroke, North Carolina, and it awarded 9 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our north carolina physics students whose families make $0-$30k list, UNC Pembroke has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Physics Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $8,412 for North Carolina Physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Read more about Physics at University of North Carolina at Pembroke
University of North Carolina at Wilmington ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of North Carolina at Wilmington is a public institution located in Wilmington, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UNCW also made our “Best Physics Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $11,710 for north carolina physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of North Carolina at Wilmington 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
- *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