2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree 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 Value Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 37 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for physical sciences 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 Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - River Falls to be the best value school for physical sciences students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the distant town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
UW - River Falls undergraduate students pay an average of $15,661 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - River Falls also did well on our Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Physical Sciences at University of Wisconsin - River Falls Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WIU are $13,297 a year.
Full Physical Sciences at Western Illinois University Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is a great value for physical sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Eau Claire also is in the top 15% of our Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Full Physical Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Report
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Akron Main Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value physical sciences schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the midsize city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 per year.
Full Physical Sciences at University of Akron Main Campus Report
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a great value for physical sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. UW - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Stevens Point.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Stevens Point are $17,035 per year.
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Eastern Michigan University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physical sciences students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Eastern Michigan is a large public school located in the suburb of Ypsilanti.
Eastern Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $15,500 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Physical Sciences at Eastern Michigan University Report
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University of Wisconsin - Parkside landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree physical sciences programs. Located in the suburb of Kenosha, UW - Parkside is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Parkside are $15,714 per year.
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Western Michigan University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. WMU is a large public school located in the small city of Kalamazoo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WMU are $16,768 a year.
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Grand Valley State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physical sciences students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the suburb of Allendale, GVSU is a public school with a very large student population.
GVSU undergraduate students pay an average of $19,628 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #10, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physical sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NIU are $14,738 a year.
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
Majors Related to Physical Sciences
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.
- 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.