2023 Best Value Biological & Physical Science Schools in Virginia
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Biological & Physical Science School for You
With 1,382 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, biological and physical science is the #25 most popular major in Virginia.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
The Best Value Biological & Physical Science Schools in Virginia ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 12 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best value programs for biological science students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Biological & Physical Science Schools
Our analysis found Lord Fairfax Community College to be the best value school for biological and physical science students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. Located in the rural area of Middletown, Lord Fairfax Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Lord Fairfax Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,739 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, biological science graduates from Lord Fairfax Community College take out $9,300 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Out of the 12 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Reynolds Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Richmond, Reynolds Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Reynolds Community College are $3,998 per year. After completing their degree, biological science graduates from Reynolds Community College carry an average student debtload of $11,232.
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The excellent programs at Blue Ridge Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best biological and physical science schools in Virginia. Located in the rural area of Weyers Cave, BRCC is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at BRCC are $5,364 a year. On average, biological science graduates from BRCC take out $7,117 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Virginia Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Biological & Physical Science Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northern Virginia Community College are $5,565 per year. On average, biological science graduates from Northern Virginia Community College take out $11,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Northern Virginia Community College also did well on our Best Biological & Physical Science Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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The excellent programs at Thomas Nelson Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best biological and physical science schools in Virginia. TNCC is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize city of Hampton.
TNCC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,806 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, biological science graduates from TNCC take out $9,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Virginia Western Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for biological and physical science students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Roanoke, Virginia Western Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Virginia Western Community College are $5,355 per year. On average, biological science graduates from Virginia Western Community College take out $8,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Tidewater Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological & Physical Science Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the midsize city of Norfolk, Tidewater Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Tidewater Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,561 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, biological science graduates from Tidewater Community College carry an average student debtload of $11,000.
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George Mason University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Biological & Physical Science Schools in Virginia list. GMU is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.
GMU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,119 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, GMU is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Biological & Physical Science Schools in Virginia list.
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William & Mary ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Biological & Physical Science Schools in Virginia list. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.
William & Mary undergraduate students pay an average of $23,812 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
William & Mary also made our Best Biological & Physical Science Schools in Virginia list, coming in at #5.
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University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological & Physical Science Schools in Virginia ranking. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.
University of Virginia undergraduate students pay an average of $19,785 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
University of Virginia not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Biological & Physical Science Schools in Virginia list.
Request InformationBest Value Biological & Physical Science Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Biological & Physical Science Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
State | Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Georgia | 112 |
North Carolina | 3 |
Florida | 637 |
Tennessee | 37 |
Kentucky | 8 |
South Carolina | 1 |
Louisiana | 11 |
Arkansas | 41 |
Alabama | 10 |
Mississippi | 14 |
West Virginia | 6 |
More Biological & Physical Science Rankings in Virginia
Majors Related to Biological Science
One of 44 majors within the area of study, biological and physical science has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Biological Science
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies | 34,975 |
Interdisciplinary Studies | 9,074 |
International Studies | 7,368 |
Nutrition Science | 5,330 |
Behavioral Science | 4,169 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 12 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.