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Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region

41 Colleges
$42,323 Avg Salary
$23,308 Avg Student Debt

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

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in the Great Lakes Region for physical sciences students. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Physical Sciences majors at Northwestern take out an average of $17,417 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Physical Sciences at Northwestern University Report

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 city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

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#3

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Chicago is a great place for physical sciences students. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

While working on their degree, physical sciences majors at UChicago accumulate an average of around $19,972 in student debt.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Chicago

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - River Falls is a great place for physical sciences students. Located in the distant town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a medium-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.

Full Physical Sciences at University of Wisconsin - River Falls Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for physical sciences students. Located in the small 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.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #6 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a fairly 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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#7

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

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 small 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.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Purdue University - Main Campus

#8

Hope College

Holland, MI

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 city of Holland.

On average, physical sciences graduates from Hope take out $25,990 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Physical Sciences at Hope College Report

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #9 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college 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.

Read More…

#10

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

University of Notre Dame ranked #10 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

On average, physical sciences graduates from Notre Dame take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Best Physical Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best physical sciences schools 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

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

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.

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