College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

12 Ranked Colleges
2,027 Degrees Awarded
$15,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 the Rocky Mountains Region” 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 the Rocky Mountains region, there were 2,027 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,145 and $23,423 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Physical Sciences Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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 in the Rocky Mountains Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region.

Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Rocky Mountains Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region. Brigham Young University - Provo is a large school located in Provo, Utah that handed out 122 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

BYU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend BYU is $13,474 for rocky mountains region physical sciences students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 92%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Brigham Young University - Provo

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Idaho. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region. BYU - I is located in Rexburg, Idaho and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

BYU - I also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Brigham Young University - Idaho is $6,698 for rocky mountains region physical sciences students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Brigham Young University - Idaho

3
UW crest
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wyoming landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Wyoming is a fairly large public school situated in Laramie, Wyoming. It awarded 97 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region physical sciences students list, UW has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW is $11,085 for rocky mountains region physical sciences students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Wyoming

4
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Utah. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. University of Utah is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 235 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U of U, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U of U is $13,572 for rocky mountains region physical sciences students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full U of U Physical Sciences Report

5
MSU Bozeman crest
Montana State University
Bozeman, Montana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Montana State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Bozeman, Montana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 122 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MSU Bozeman, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $19,453 for Rocky Mountains Region Physical Sciences students per year to attend Montana State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Montana State University

6
U of I crest
University of Idaho
Moscow, Idaho

With a ranking of #6, University of Idaho did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. University of Idaho is a fairly large school located in Moscow, Idaho that handed out 56 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

U of I also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for U of I is $13,964 for rocky mountains region physical sciences students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full U of I Physical Sciences Report

7

Colorado State University - Fort Collins ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Colorado State University - Fort Collins is a large school located in Fort Collins, Colorado that handed out 149 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Colorado State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Colorado State University - Fort Collins is $18,679 for rocky mountains region physical sciences students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 more about Physical Sciences at Colorado State University - Fort Collins

8

University of Northern Colorado ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. This fairly large school is located in Greeley, Colorado, and it awarded 68 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Northern Colorado also took the #10 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Northern Colorado is $15,570 for Rocky Mountains Region Physical Sciences students.

The low undergrad 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 more about Physical Sciences at University of Northern Colorado

9

Boise State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #9. Boise State is a large public school situated in Boise, Idaho. It awarded 74 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Boise State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Boise State is $16,153 for rocky mountains region physical sciences students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 Boise State Physical Sciences Report

10

University of Colorado Boulder ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. University of Colorado Boulder is a large public school situated in Boulder, Colorado. It awarded 375 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CU - Boulder, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Colorado Boulder is $20,967 for rocky mountains region physical sciences students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 85%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Colorado Boulder

11
Mines crest
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado

Colorado School of Mines came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Located in Golden, Colorado, this medium-sized public school handed out 82 degrees to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mines, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mines is $27,114 for rocky mountains region physical sciences students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 more about Physical Sciences at Mines

12

Metropolitan State University of Denver came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Denver, Colorado, and it awarded 37 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region physical sciences students list, MSU Denver has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Metropolitan State University of Denver is $14,313 for rocky mountains region physical sciences students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Metropolitan State University of Denver

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options