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2023 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

10 Ranked Colleges
1,478 Degrees Awarded
$13,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

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 Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 50,306 people earned their degree in physical sciences, making the major the 19th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,880 and had an average of $22,620 in loans still to pay off.

Across Virginia, there were 1,478 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,871 and $21,765 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in physical sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent physical sciences programs, but they also 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

1
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 120 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

William & Mary not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $7,507 for Virginia Physical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend William & Mary.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physical Sciences at William & Mary

2
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school handed out 241 degrees to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $10,063 for virginia physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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 97%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Virginia

3
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 205 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Virginia Tech, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $14,003 for virginia physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Virginia Tech

4
RBC crest
Richard Bland College of William and Mary
South Prince George, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Richard Bland College of William and Mary. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in South Prince George, Virginia, and it awarded 157 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, RBC has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend RBC is $11,314 for virginia physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Richard Bland College of William and Mary Physical Sciences Report

5
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Radford University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Radford, Virginia, and it awarded 34 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Radford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $13,026 for Virginia Physical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Radford University.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Radford University

6

Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. VCU is a large school located in Richmond, Virginia that handed out 149 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

VCU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $15,891 for Virginia Physical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend VCU.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at VCU

7
UMW crest
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, Virginia

University of Mary Washington landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Mary Washington is a small school located in Fredericksburg, Virginia that handed out 53 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMW, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMW is $16,459 for virginia physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UMW Physical Sciences Report

8
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

James Madison University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. James Madison University is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 89 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

JMU also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for JMU is $14,985 for virginia physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at JMU

9
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

George Mason University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. George Mason University is a large public school situated in Fairfax, Virginia. It awarded 95 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GMU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend GMU is $15,979 for virginia physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full George Mason University Physical Sciences Report

10
CNU crest
Christopher Newport University
Newport News, Virginia

Christopher Newport University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Newport News, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.

CNU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Christopher Newport University is $15,990 for virginia physical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, 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 full report on Physical Sciences at Christopher Newport University

Notes and References

References

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