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2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k

326 Ranked Colleges
8,542 Degrees Awarded
$14,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $75-$110k

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 Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 14,123 people earned their degree in physics, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States. 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.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,542 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 326 colleges that offered a degree in physics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality physics programs that also have a lower cost than 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The 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 Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k”.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $75-$110k)

#1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Out of the 326 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a fairly large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 83 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k list, MIT has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend MIT is $14,381 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Massachusetts Institute of Technology Physics Report

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #9 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,631 for bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Stanford.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Stanford Physics Report

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,784 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Northwestern.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Northwestern University Physics Report

#4

Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dartmouth College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Hanover, New Hampshire is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dartmouth, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dartmouth College is $14,238 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 96%.

Read more about Physics at Dartmouth College

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 326 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #5 spot on the list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 29 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia University in the City of New York is $18,637 for bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

The 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. The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Physics at Columbia University in the City of New York

#6

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $17,929 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 low 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%.

Full UChicago Physics Report

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 51 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $18,039 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Physics Report

#8

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey
#11 in overall quality

Princeton University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Princeton, New Jersey. It awarded 39 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Princeton also took the #11 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,989 for bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Princeton.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at Princeton University

#9

The City College of New York

New York, New York

With a ranking of #9, The City College of New York did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. The City College of New York is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for CCNY is $9,546 for bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Physics at The City College of New York

#10

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#7 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Caltech is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 34 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend California Institute of Technology is $12,788 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 Caltech Physics Report

Missouri University of Science and Technology came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public institution located in Rolla, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Missouri University of Science and Technology excels when it comes to physics quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $16,060 for bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Missouri University of Science and Technology Physics Report

#12

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of Florida is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 41 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UF is $12,685 for bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Read more about Physics at UF

Brigham Young University - Idaho landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. BYU - I is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rexburg, Idaho. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,850 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend BYU - I.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at Brigham Young University - Idaho

#14

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#8 in overall quality

University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #14. University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $20,632 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.

Read full report on Physics at University of Pennsylvania

#15

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

La Crosse, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a fairly large public school situated in La Crosse, Wisconsin. It awarded 34 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse also claimed a top spot on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $16,573 for bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UW - La Crosse.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $9,576 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal State LA.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at California State University - Los Angeles

#17

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#12 in overall quality

Harvard University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 45 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.

Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard University is $15,553 for bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at Harvard University

With a ranking of #18, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $12,916 for bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physics at Cal State Fullerton

#19

Beloit College

Beloit, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #19, Beloit College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Beloit, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Beloit College is $12,123 for bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Physics at Beloit College

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 207 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle excels when it comes to physics quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $18,110 for bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 Physics at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 10 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $11,400 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at UT Rio Grande Valley

#22

University of North Georgia

Dahlonega, Georgia

University of North Georgia ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. This fairly large school is located in Dahlonega, Georgia, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of North Georgia is $12,939 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Physics at UNG

#23

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts

Williams College landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It awarded 11 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Williams is $14,653 for bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at Williams College

#24

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
#22 in overall quality

Johns Hopkins University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

Johns Hopkins also took the #22 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins University is $19,177 for Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

The 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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Physics at Johns Hopkins

#25

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri

Truman State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #25. Truman State University is a public institution located in Kirksville, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Truman State is $13,624 for bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at Truman State

Rest of the Best 49 in Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k

Not only did these schools make the top 49 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#29

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#30

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
#32

Hunter College

New York, New York
#33

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#34

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana
#35

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
#36

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#37

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#38

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#39

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#41

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky
#42

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida
#42

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#44

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida
#46

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#47

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#48

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#49

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

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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