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Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois

2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

11 Colleges
$30,403 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$48,413 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Physics 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.

The Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in Illinois to see which 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.

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 Schools

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Southern Illinois University Edwardsville the best value school in Illinois for physics students. SIUE is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 11 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

UIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $17,634 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Physics majors at UIUC take out an average of $19,750 in student loans while working on their egree. 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 took the #3 spot in our Best Physics Schools in Illinois rankings.

Full Physics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

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$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a year.

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$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $13,968 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Illinois State is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Physics Schools in Illinois list.

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$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois list. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chicago.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIC are $15,603 per year.

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$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Northern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for physics students. It came in at #6 on the list. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NIU are $14,738 a year.

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$50,375 Average Tuition & Fees

Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physics programs. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Illinois Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $50,375 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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$27,786 Average Tuition & Fees

Columbia College Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Columbia undergraduate students pay an average of $27,786 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#9

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL
$60,768 Average Tuition & Fees

Northwestern University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwestern are $60,768 per year.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our Best Physics Schools in Illinois rankings.

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#10

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL
$60,963 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Chicago landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physics programs. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

UChicago undergraduate students pay an average of $60,963 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, physics majors at UChicago accumulate an average of around $19,972 in student debt.

UChicago not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Physics Schools in Illinois list.

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Best Value Physics Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 344
Ohio 393
Indiana 255
Wisconsin 264

One of 8 majors within the area of study, physics has other similar majors worth exploring.

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.

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