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

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Plains States 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 Plains States region, there were 767 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,600 and $24,015 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 565 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 25 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.
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.
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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 in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid”.
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. 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 the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics in the Plains States Region (With Aid)
Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a medium-sized school located in Rolla, Missouri that handed out 16 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Missouri University of Science and Technology not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $14,262 for plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, 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 85%.
Full Missouri University of Science and Technology Physics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Truman State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Kirksville, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid list, Truman State has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Truman State University is $12,462 for plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - St Louis landed the #3 spot on the list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.
UMSL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UMSL is $9,435 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
Read more about Physics at University of Missouri - St Louis
Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Morris landed the #4 spot on the list. Morris, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
UMN Morris not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $11,412 for plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend University of Minnesota - Morris.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, 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 Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school awarded 46 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.
UMN Twin Cities also took the #3 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $17,740 for Plains States 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 93%. 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%.
University of Northern Iowa landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Northern Iowa is a medium-sized school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 14 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid list, UNI has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $15,620 for plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend UNI.
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 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Iowa State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.
Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $15,496 for plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Mizzou is a large public school situated in Columbia, Missouri. It awarded 20 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Mizzou did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Missouri - Columbia is $16,001 for plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Kansas State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. K -State is a public institution located in Manhattan, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
K -State also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $18,285 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid per year to attend Kansas State University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #10, Fort Hays State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Fort Hays State University is a fairly large school located in Hays, Kansas that handed out 4 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
FHSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend FHSU is $12,053 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
Northwest Missouri State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Northwest is a medium-sized public school situated in Maryville, Missouri. It awarded 2 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwest did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $12,354 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid per year to attend Northwest Missouri State University.
University of Minnesota - Duluth came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UMN Duluth is located in Duluth, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
UMN Duluth not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Duluth is $17,067 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 ranking of #13, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Rapid City, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.
SD Mines did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend SD Mines is $19,815 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.
Wichita State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. WSU is a public institution located in Wichita, Kansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
WSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for WSU is $14,382 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
University of Missouri - Kansas City landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Kansas City, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.
UMKC also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - Kansas City is $14,643 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
University of Kansas came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Kansas is a large public school situated in Lawrence, Kansas. It awarded 9 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
KU also took the #15 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend KU is $18,918 for plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Missouri State University - Springfield ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Missouri State is a large school located in Springfield, Missouri that handed out 6 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Missouri State also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #23. The yearly cost to attend Missouri State University - Springfield is $16,725 for plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
Read more about Physics at Missouri State University - Springfield
Hamline University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Hamline University is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
Hamline also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $20,866 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid per year to attend Hamline.
The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
St Olaf College landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Northfield, Minnesota. It awarded 23 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
St. Olaf did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend St Olaf College is $23,543 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Concordia College at Moorhead ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Moorhead, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
Concordia College Moorhead also took the #7 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $23,029 for plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend Concordia College at Moorhead.
The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.
Luther College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Decorah, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.
Luther also took the #5 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Luther is $23,620 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students with aid.
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%.
Bethel University Minnesota ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Bethel University Minnesota is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 18 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Bethel University Minnesota also took the #4 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bethel University Minnesota is $25,191 for plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Augsburg University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Augsburg not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $24,653 for plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend Augsburg.
Gustavus Adolphus College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Saint Peter, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.
Gustavus Adolphus also took the #14 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Gustavus Adolphus College is $19,093 for plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #25, Creighton University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Creighton University is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
Creighton also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $31,400 for plains states region bachelor’s degree physics students with aid per year to attend Creighton University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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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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