2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina
9
Ranked Colleges
1,594
Degrees Awarded
$17,300
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina” ranking.
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 North Carolina, there were 1,594 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,310 and $22,931 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 North Carolina”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Physical Sciences in North Carolina
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 314 students in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill also took the #1 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $12,469 for north carolina physical sciences students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Carolina University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina list. Greenville, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 131 students in 2020-2021.
ECU also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $16,550 for north carolina physical sciences students per year to attend East Carolina University.
Full ECU Physical Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Carolina State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 194 diplomas to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
NC State also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for NC State is $16,411 for north carolina physical sciences students.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at North Carolina State University
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Carolina University landed the #4 spot on the list. Western Carolina University is a public institution located in Cullowhee, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 70 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
WCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina” list. The estimated yearly cost for WCU is $13,924 for North Carolina Physical Sciences students.
Full Western Carolina University Physical Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina. University of North Carolina at Wilmington is a fairly large school located in Wilmington, North Carolina that handed out 129 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNCW, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington is $19,136 for north carolina 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%.
Full University of North Carolina at Wilmington Physical Sciences Report
With a ranking of #6, Appalachian State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina list. Appalachian State University is a large public school situated in Boone, North Carolina. It awarded 107 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Appalachian State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend Appalachian State is $13,989 for north carolina physical sciences students.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Appalachian State Physical Sciences Report
University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #7. UNC Charlotte is a large school located in Charlotte, North Carolina that handed out 174 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UNC Charlotte did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $17,634 for north carolina physical sciences students per year to attend UNC Charlotte.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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 North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Asheville ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina list. Asheville, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.
UNCA also made our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $12,551 for North Carolina Physical Sciences students per year to attend University of North Carolina at Asheville.
Full UNCA Physical Sciences Report
Wake Forest University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina ranking. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that handed out 49 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Wake Forest University also took the #2 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wake Forest University is $32,845 for north carolina physical sciences students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 Wake Forest University
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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
- *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.
