2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” 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.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,820 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,980 and $21,326 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,215 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 57 colleges that offered a degree in physics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physics programs and 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
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Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. La Crosse, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.
UW - La Crosse did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - La Crosse is $14,580 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 full report on Physics at University of Wisconsin - Madison
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 the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 68 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC also took the #8 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $15,880 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
U-M also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $15,336 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid per year to attend U-M.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 57 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Purdue is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 38 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Purdue also took the #14 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,986 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend Purdue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in River Falls, Wisconsin, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - River Falls, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Whitewater, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid list, UW - Whitewater has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Whitewater is $15,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Stevens Point is a public institution located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Stevens Point also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Stevens Point is $14,465 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
With a ranking of #9, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.
IU Bloomington also took the #20 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $13,253 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #10, University of Wisconsin - Parkside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Parkside is a small school located in Kenosha, Wisconsin that handed out 6 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,327 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Parkside.
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Eau Claire not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is $16,020 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
Read more about Physics at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
With a ranking of #12, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,312 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
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%.
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. UW Oshkosh is a public institution located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UW Oshkosh is $15,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
With a ranking of #14, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Michigan State is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 46 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State is $19,173 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $14,423 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
Read more about Physics at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $11,285 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Physics Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Ohio State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus is $17,616 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
Saginaw Valley State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Saginaw Valley State University is a medium-sized school located in University Center, Michigan that handed out 6 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Saginaw Valley State University is $14,248 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
With a ranking of #19, Ball State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Muncie, Indiana, this large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,147 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid per year to attend Ball State.
Purdue University Fort Wayne came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, this medium-sized public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for PFW is $10,912 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
Northern Illinois University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $18,259 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid per year to attend Northern Illinois University.
Northwestern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 11 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $24,664 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid per year to attend Northwestern.
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. 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,945 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend SIUC.
Read full report on Physics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. WMU is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid list, WMU has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $19,433 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend Western Michigan University.
Indiana State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Indiana State University is a fairly large school located in Terre Haute, Indiana that handed out 3 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,896 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid per year to attend Indiana State.
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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
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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