2023 Best Value Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Physics Bachelor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 353 degrees and certificates were awarded to physics students who went to a Virginia college or university. This makes it the #68 most popular major in the state.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in Virginia 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.
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.
Best Virginia Schools for Affordable Quality for a Bachelor's in Physics
Our analysis found Virginia Tech to be the best value school for physics students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Virginia. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Virginia Tech are $14,174 per year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Virginia Tech is ranked #4 for overall quality for physics in Virginia.
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Out of the 9 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Radford University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Radford, Radford is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Radford are $11,542 per year.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means James Madison University is a great value for physics students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at JMU are $12,638 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, JMU also did well on our Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. GMU is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GMU are $13,119 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Mary Washington. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. UMW is a small public school located in the suburb of Fredericksburg.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMW are $13,800 per year.
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Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. VCU is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Richmond.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at VCU are $15,028 per year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, physics majors at VCU accumulate an average of around $27,194 in student debt.
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University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree physics programs. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Virginia are $19,785 per year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, University of Virginia is ranked #2 for overall quality for physics in Virginia.
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William & Mary ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg.
William & Mary undergraduate students pay an average of $23,812 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, physics majors at William & Mary accumulate an average of around $17,188 in student debt.
William & Mary did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list.
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Bridgewater College 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 suburb of Bridgewater, Bridgewater is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Bridgewater are $38,460 a year.
Request InformationBest Value Physics Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Physics Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 244 |
| North Carolina | 356 |
| Florida | 358 |
| Tennessee | 156 |
| Kentucky | 77 |
| South Carolina | 107 |
| Louisiana | 93 |
| Arkansas | 80 |
| Alabama | 117 |
| Mississippi | 45 |
| West Virginia | 44 |
More Physics Rankings in Virginia
Physics Related Majors for Physics
One of 8 majors within the area of study, physics has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 9 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.