2022 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences in Iowa (With Aid)

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” 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 Iowa, there were 490 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $25,510 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in physical sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality physical sciences programs that also have a lower cost than 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 physical sciences program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The physical sciences 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 Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid”.

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. 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 Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences in Iowa (With Aid)

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$15,620 Average Net Price

$39,900 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. UNI is a medium-sized public school situated in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It awarded 29 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNI, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNI is $15,620 for Iowa Physical Sciences students with aid.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UNI

#2

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$15,496 Average Net Price

$46,410 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 149 degrees to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa State, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $15,496 for iowa physical sciences students with aid.

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

Full Iowa State University Physical Sciences Report

#3

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$23,620 Average Net Price

$34,644 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Luther College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. This small school is located in Decorah, Iowa, and it awarded 13 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Luther also took the #1 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $23,620 for iowa physical sciences students with aid per year to attend Luther.

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%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Luther

• Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Plains States Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences (With Aid)

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.

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

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