2022 Best Value Colleges for Physics (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Physics Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Physics is the 67th most popular major in the country with 14,123 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $42,475 and had an average of $22,421 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 143 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality physics 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 physics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. 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 Physics Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa physics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Physics (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$10,757 Average Net Price

$39,900 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Northern Iowa is a medium-sized public school situated in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It awarded 14 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Physics Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $10,757 for iowa physics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Physics at University of Northern Iowa

#2

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$10,054 Average Net Price

$46,410 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Physics Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Iowa State University is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 32 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

Iowa State also made our “Best Physics Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $10,054 for Iowa Physics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at Iowa State University

#3

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$16,636 Average Net Price

$34,644 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Luther College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Decorah, Iowa, and it awarded 6 ’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Luther not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Physics Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $16,636 for iowa physics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Luther College.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.

Read full report on Physics at Luther College

• Best Value Colleges for Physics (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Colleges for Physics (Income $0-$30k)

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 A. T. Service.

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