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2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

13 Ranked Colleges
339 Degrees Awarded
$15,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

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 Illinois, there were 492 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,100 and $21,278 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 339 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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 physics program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $3,995 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Physics at Northwestern

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 63 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $2,800 for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full University of Chicago Physics Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 68 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, UIUC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $8,464 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 94%.

Full UIUC Physics Report

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $9,938 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SIUE.

Read more about Physics at SIUE

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, UIC has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $11,185 for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UIC Physics Report

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Northern Illinois University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, NIU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,861 for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend NIU.

Read full report on Physics at Northern Illinois University

#10 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 7 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #10 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $14,306 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Physics Report

#8

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Illinois State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $14,999 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at Illinois State

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

Western Illinois University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 3 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,526 for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend WIU.

Read more about Physics at WIU

#5 in overall quality

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $18,720 for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Illinois Tech.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physics at Illinois Institute of Technology

#11

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 3 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $27,397 for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Physics at Columbia College Chicago

#12

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $29,788 for illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Loyola Chicago.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physics at Loyola Chicago

#13

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, DePaul has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DePaul University is $25,842 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at DePaul

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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