2023 Best Value Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Physics Bachelor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 13,674 people earned a degree or certificate in physics, making the major the #69 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 241 schools in the United States to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for physics students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Bachelor's in Physics
Our 2023 rankings named Brigham Young University - Idaho the best value school in the United States for physics students working on their bachelor’s degree. BYU - I is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the town of Rexburg.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU - I are $4,416 per year.
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Out of the 241 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the # 2 spot on the list. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Provo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BYU are $6,120 a year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the distant town of Pembroke, UNC Pembroke is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNC Pembroke are $7,495 a year.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Wisconsin - River Falls helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value physics schools in the United States. UW - River Falls is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of River Falls.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - River Falls are $15,661 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, physics majors at UW - River Falls accumulate an average of around $25,603 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - River Falls also is in the top 10% of our Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking.
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Out of the 241 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year.
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University of Wyoming landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree physics programs. Located in the remote town of Laramie, UW is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW are $16,957 a year.
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Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physics students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. SRU is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Slippery Rock.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SRU are $14,615 per year.
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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree physics programs. UW - Eau Claire is a large public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.
UW - Eau Claire undergraduate students pay an average of $17,149 in tuition and fees each year.
UW - Eau Claire excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list.
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University of Wisconsin - La Crosse came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of La Crosse, UW - La Crosse is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - La Crosse are $18,014 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, physics graduates from UW - La Crosse carry an average student debtload of $25,545.
UW - La Crosse also claimed a spot on our Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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East Tennessee State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree physics programs. Located in the city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ETSU are $12,740 per year.
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Edinboro University of Pennsylvania ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Edinboro is a small public school located in the town of Edinboro.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Edinboro are $15,062 a year.
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Western Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physics students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.
WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in tuition and fees each year.
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Clarion University of Pennsylvania ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Clarion University is a small public school located in the remote town of Clarion.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Clarion University are $16,052 per year.
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With a ranking of #14, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the distant town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Whitewater is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list.
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Southern Arkansas University Main Campus landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree physics programs. Southern Arkansas University Main Campus is a small public school located in the remote town of Magnolia.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southern Arkansas University Main Campus are $14,530 a year. On average, physics graduates from Southern Arkansas University Main Campus take out $26,119 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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With a ranking of #16, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students working on their bachelor’s degree. East Stroudsburg University is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of East Stroudsburg.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at East Stroudsburg University are $19,797 a year.
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University of Akron Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physics students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #17 on the list. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large public school located in the city of Akron.
University of Akron Main Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #18, Lock Haven University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Lock Haven, LHU is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at LHU are $20,702 a year.
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University of North Alabama landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree physics programs. UNA is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Florence.
UNA undergraduate students pay an average of $20,220 in tuition and fees each year.
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University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physics students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the town of Stevens Point, UW - Stevens Point is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Stevens Point are $17,035 a year.
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University of Minnesota - Morris ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the town of Morris, UMN Morris is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMN Morris are $15,940 per year.
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University of Wisconsin - Parkside came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. UW - Parkside is a small public school located in the midsize suburb of Kenosha.
UW - Parkside undergraduate students pay an average of $15,714 in tuition and fees each year.
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California University of Pennsylvania ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Cal U is a medium-sized public school located in the small suburb of California.
Cal U undergraduate students pay an average of $15,726 in tuition and fees each year.
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Eastern Michigan University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Eastern Michigan are $15,500 a year.
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Iowa State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the small city of Ames.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Iowa State are $25,446 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Iowa State also is in the top 10% of our Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking.
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Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great value schools for Physics students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | SUNY Geneseo | Geneseo, NY |
| 39 | University of Houston | Houston, TX |
| 40 | Austin Peay State University | Clarksville, TN |
| 41 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
| 42 | Wichita State University | Wichita, KS |
| 43 | Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania | Bloomsburg, PA |
| 43 | University of Minnesota - Duluth | Duluth, MN |
| 45 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus | Stillwater, OK |
| 46 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 46 | Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN |
| 48 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX |
Physics by Region
View the Best Value Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
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Majors Related to Physics
Physics is one of 8 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Physics
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 21,239 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 7,821 |
| General Physical Sciences | 3,823 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 1,375 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 1,140 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 27 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to A. T. Service.
More about our data sources and methodologies.