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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in Tennessee

9 Ranked Colleges
569 Degrees Awarded
$9,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 52,879 people earned their degree in physical sciences, making the major the 18th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $38,122 and had an average of $22,339 in loans still to pay off.

Across Tennessee, there were 769 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 569 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in physical sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physical sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the physical sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. 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 Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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 Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for tennessee bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in Tennessee

#1

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Vanderbilt University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $3,156 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 96%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Vanderbilt University

#2

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Middle Tennessee State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Middle Tennessee State University is a large public school situated in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It awarded 59 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Middle Tennessee State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for Middle Tennessee State University is $8,919 for tennessee bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Middle Tennessee State University

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. UT Knoxville is a large school located in Knoxville, Tennessee that handed out 88 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Knoxville also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for UT Knoxville is $10,224 for tennessee bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga is a fairly large school located in Chattanooga, Tennessee that handed out 30 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Chattanooga has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Chattanooga is $8,108 for tennessee bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Physical Sciences Report

#5

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, Tennessee
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend East Tennessee State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k. East Tennessee State University is a fairly large school located in Johnson City, Tennessee that handed out 47 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

ETSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $10,632 for tennessee bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ETSU.

Full ETSU Physical Sciences Report

#6

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville, Tennessee
#3 in overall quality

Tennessee Technological University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in Cookeville, Tennessee, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Tennessee Tech University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for Tennessee Tech University is $11,641 for tennessee bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Tennessee Technological University

#7

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee
#7 in overall quality

University of Memphis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. University of Memphis is a public institution located in Memphis, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UofM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for UofM is $10,256 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Physical Sciences at UofM

#9 in overall quality

The University of Tennessee - Martin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Martin, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

UT Martin also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend The University of Tennessee - Martin is $7,524 for tennessee bachelor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at The University of Tennessee - Martin

#9

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, Tennessee
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Austin Peay State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Austin Peay State University is a public institution located in Clarksville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Austin Peay State University also took the #8 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Austin Peay State University is $10,909 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Austin Peay State University

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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 NASA.

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