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2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

13 Ranked Colleges
1,125 Degrees Awarded
$22,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois

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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Physical Sciences is the 18th most popular major in the country with 52,879 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 Illinois, there were 1,704 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $44,790 and $21,894 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,125 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in Illinois

#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 47 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for illinois bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at SIUE

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 309 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree physical sciences students per year to attend UIUC.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#3

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #7 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.

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%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Illinois State University

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $13,312 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.

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%.

Full UIC Physical Sciences Report

#5

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend WIU is $16,210 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.

Full WIU Physical Sciences Report

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 56 students in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree physical sciences students per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at NIU

#11 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,945 for illinois bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#8

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College Chicago is $31,099 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Columbia College Chicago

#9

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

DePaul University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 12 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $30,090 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students per year to attend DePaul.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at DePaul University

#10

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree physical sciences students list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $35,407 for illinois bachelor’s degree physical sciences students per year to attend Loyola Chicago.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Loyola Chicago

#5 in overall quality

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Tech is $22,831 for illinois bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Illinois Institute of Technology

#12

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

University of Chicago came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 145 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree physical sciences students list, UChicago has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $27,315 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students per year to attend University of Chicago.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Chicago Physical Sciences Report

#12

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 44 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $24,664 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Northwestern 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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