2023 Best Value Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Physics Bachelor's Degree School for You
Physics is the #66 most popular major in Illinois with 483 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
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 in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 11 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for physics students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to be the best value school for physics students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Illinois. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year.
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.
UIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $17,634 in in-state tuition and fees each year. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $674.
UIUC also made our Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #3.
Read full report on Physics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.
Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Physics majors at Illinois State take out an average of $25,592 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Illinois State also made our Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #5.
Read full report on Physics at Illinois State University
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year.
Full Physics at Western Illinois University Report
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. UIC is a very large public school located in the large city of Chicago.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIC are $15,603 per year.
Request Information
Northern 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 #6 on the list. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, physics majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $25,479 in student debt.
Read full report on Physics at Northern Illinois University
Request Information
Columbia College Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Columbia are $27,786 a year. Physics majors at Columbia take out an average of $29,286 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Read full report on Physics at Columbia College Chicago
Request Information
Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree physics programs. Located in the large city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Illinois Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $50,375 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Physics at Illinois Institute of Technology
Request Information
Northwestern 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 #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northwestern are $60,768 a year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Northwestern is ranked #2 for overall quality for physics in Illinois.
Read full report on Physics at Northwestern University
Request Information
University of Chicago ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
UChicago undergraduate students pay an average of $60,963 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
UChicago did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.
Request InformationBest Value Physics Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Physics Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 344 |
| Ohio | 393 |
| Indiana | 255 |
| Wisconsin | 264 |
More Physics Rankings in Illinois
Physics Related Majors for Physics
One of 8 majors within the area of study, physics has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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 11 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.