2023 Best Value Physics Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Physics School for You
Physics is the #69 most popular major in the country with 13,674 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 the Rocky Mountains Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region 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.
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.
Top 10 Best Physics Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Brigham Young University - Idaho the best value school in the Rocky Mountains Region for physics students. Located in the town of Rexburg, BYU - I is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU - I are $4,416 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in the midsize city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
BYU undergraduate students pay an average of $6,120 in tuition and fees each year.
BYU also claimed a spot on our Best Physics Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Out of the 13 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wyoming landed the # 3 spot on the list. UW is a fairly large public school located in the town of Laramie.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW are $16,957 a year.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Colorado State University - Fort Collins is a great value for physics students. Located in the midsize city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Colorado State are $31,470 a year.
Colorado State also took the #5 spot in our Best Physics Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region rankings.
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Out of the 13 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Idaho landed the # 5 spot on the list. U of I is a large public school located in the town of Moscow.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at U of I are $27,576 per year.
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University of Utah ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. U of U is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at U of U are $28,345 per year. The average amount in student loans that physics majors at U of U take out is $21,745.
U of U excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Physics Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list.
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With a ranking of #7, Montana State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students. MSU Bozeman is a large public school located in the town of Bozeman.
MSU Bozeman undergraduate students pay an average of $28,264 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #8, University of Northern Colorado did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students. Located in the midsize city of Greeley, University of Northern Colorado is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at University of Northern Colorado are $23,785 a year.
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Fort Lewis College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in the town of Durango, FLC is a public school with a small student population.
FLC undergraduate students pay an average of $19,660 in tuition and fees each year.
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University of Colorado Boulder landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physics programs. CU - Boulder is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Boulder.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at CU - Boulder are $38,358 a year. On average, physics graduates from CU - Boulder take out $21,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, CU - Boulder also did well on our Best Physics Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Physics at University of Colorado Boulder Report
Request InformationBest Physics Colleges by State
Explore the best physics schools for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Colorado | 304 |
| Utah | 187 |
| Idaho | 56 |
| Montana | 39 |
| Wyoming | 23 |
More Physics Rankings in the Rocky Mountains Region
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 13 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.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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