2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 41 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which 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 Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Southern Illinois University Edwardsville the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for physical sciences students. SIUE is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year. The average amount in student loans that physical sciences majors at SIUE take out is $24,100.
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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 # 2 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - River Falls are $15,661 per year. Physical Sciences majors at UW - River Falls take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - River Falls also is in the top 10% of our Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Western Illinois University is a great value for physical sciences students. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public college 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. Physical Sciences majors at WIU take out an average of $25,687 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value 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 large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 per year. The average amount in student loans that physical sciences majors at UW - Eau Claire take out is $21,375.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Eau Claire also is in the top 10% of our Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
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Out of the 41 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Illinois State are $24,172 a year.
Illinois State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Full Physical Sciences at Illinois State University Report
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With a ranking of #6, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physical sciences students. UW - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Stevens Point.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Stevens Point are $17,035 a year.
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University of Akron Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for physical sciences students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 per year. On average, physical sciences graduates from University of Akron Main Campus take out $23,675 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Physical Sciences at University of Akron Main Campus Report
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With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Parkside did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physical sciences students. Located in the suburb of Kenosha, UW - Parkside is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Parkside are $15,714 a year. The average amount in student loans that physical sciences majors at UW - Parkside take out is $26,700.
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Northern Illinois University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physical sciences programs. 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. Physical Sciences majors at NIU take out an average of $20,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Physical Sciences at Northern Illinois University Report
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Grand Valley State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Allendale, GVSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GVSU are $19,628 per year. Physical Sciences majors at GVSU take out an average of $27,063 in student loans while working on their egree.
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.
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