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Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois

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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.

2023 Best Value Physics Schools in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for physics majors pursuing a .

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.

Full Physics at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

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 Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very 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 made our Best Physics Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #3.

Full Physics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Western Illinois University is a great value for physics students. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year.

Read full report on Physics at Western Illinois University

$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Illinois State University is a great value for physics students. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

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

Illinois State also claimed a spot on our Best Physics Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full Physics at Illinois State University Report

$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 11 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the # 5 spot on the list. UIC is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago.

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

Full Physics at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Northern Illinois University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physics programs. 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.

Read More…

$50,375 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students. Located in the large city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois Tech are $50,375 per year.

Read full report on Physics at Illinois Institute of Technology

$27,786 Average Tuition & Fees

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

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Columbia are $27,786 a year.

Read More…

#9

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL
$60,768 Average Tuition & Fees

Northwestern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for physics students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Northwestern undergraduate students pay an average of $60,768 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Northwestern not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Physics Schools in Illinois list.

Read More…

#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 large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UChicago are $60,963 per 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.

Full Physics at University of Chicago Report

Best 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

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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