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

10 Ranked Colleges
1,194 Degrees Awarded
$17,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in North Carolina

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 North Carolina, there were 1,598 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,656 and $21,799 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,194 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,192 and $24,368 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina” 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Physical Sciences Schools

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 North Carolina” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 North Carolina

The colleges and universities below are the best for north carolina bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.

Top 10 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in North Carolina

#1

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 219 students in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $12,352 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physical Sciences at UNC Chapel Hill

#2

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Carolina State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. North Carolina State University is a large school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 126 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

NC State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $16,458 for north carolina bachelor’s degree physical sciences students per year to attend NC State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, 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 94%.

Full North Carolina State University Physical Sciences Report

#3

East Carolina University

Greenville, North Carolina
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend East Carolina University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina. Located in Greenville, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 91 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree physical sciences students list, ECU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ECU is $15,844 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.

Full East Carolina University Physical Sciences Report

#4

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Appalachian State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. Appalachian State University is located in Boone, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 103 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

Appalachian State also made our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Appalachian State University is $13,920 for north carolina bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.

Full Appalachian State Physical Sciences Report

#5

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Wilmington, North Carolina
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Wilmington landed the #5 spot on the list. Wilmington, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physical sciences degrees to 83 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree physical sciences students list, UNCW has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Wilmington is $19,055 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UNCW Physical Sciences Report

#6

Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, North Carolina
#8 in overall quality

Western Carolina University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

WCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend WCU is $13,722 for north carolina bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Western Carolina University

#7

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina
#7 in overall quality

University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #7. UNC Charlotte is a public institution located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 127 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Charlotte also took the #7 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Charlotte is $16,529 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students.

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

Read more about Physical Sciences at UNC Charlotte

#8

University of North Carolina at Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of North Carolina at Asheville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. UNCA is a public institution located in Asheville, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNCA, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNCA is $12,061 for north carolina bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.

Full University of North Carolina at Asheville Physical Sciences Report

#9

Guilford College

Greensboro, North Carolina
#9 in overall quality

Guilford College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Guilford also took the #9 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $22,996 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Physical Sciences students per year to attend Guilford.

Full Guilford College Physical Sciences Report

#10

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
#1 in overall quality

Wake Forest University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #10. This medium-sized school is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree physical sciences students list, Wake Forest University has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wake Forest University is $29,990 for north carolina bachelor’s degree physical sciences students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 95%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Wake Forest 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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