2023 Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best Physical Sciences School for You
Physical Sciences is the #19 most popular major in the country with 50,306 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 41 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for physical sciences majors pursuing a .
Top 10 Best Physical Sciences Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in the Great Lakes Region for physical sciences students. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Physical Sciences majors at Northwestern take out an average of $17,417 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Illinois Institute of Technology is a great place for physical sciences students. Located in the large city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
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Out of the 41 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the # 3 spot on the list. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
While working on their degree, physical sciences majors at UChicago accumulate an average of around $19,972 in student debt.
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Out of the 41 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Physical Sciences majors at UW - River Falls take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Out of the 41 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, physical sciences graduates from UIUC take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $566.
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University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #6 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that physical sciences majors at UW - Madison take out is $22,860.
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With a ranking of #7, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for physical sciences students. Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a very large student population.
Physical Sciences majors at Purdue take out an average of $20,262 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $256.
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Hope College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Hope is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Holland.
On average, physical sciences graduates from Hope take out $25,990 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best physical sciences programs. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that physical sciences majors at UW - Eau Claire take out is $21,375.
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University of Notre Dame came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
On average, physical sciences graduates from Notre Dame take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Request InformationBest Physical Sciences Colleges by State
Explore the best physical sciences colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 951 |
| Michigan | 1,288 |
| Ohio | 1,581 |
| Illinois | 1,686 |
| Wisconsin | 873 |
More Physical Sciences Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Physical Sciences Related Rankings by Major
Physical Sciences Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 21,239 |
| Physics | 13,674 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 7,821 |
| General Physical Sciences | 3,823 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 1,375 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 1,140 |
| Materials Sciences | 658 |
| Other Physical Science | 538 |
| Physics and Astronomy | 38 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Physical Sciences
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer & Information Sciences | 254,454 |
| Engineering | 198,468 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 177,778 |
| Engineering Technologies | 85,188 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 52,396 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 NASA.
More about our data sources and methodologies.