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Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois

2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

9 Colleges
$32,795 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$48,248 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Physical Sciences School for You

Physical Sciences is the #20 most popular major in Illinois with 1,686 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 9 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value programs for physical sciences students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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.

Best Illinois Schools for Affordable Quality in Physical Sciences

$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Illinois State University the best value school in Illinois for physical sciences students. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Illinois State also did well on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

UIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $17,634 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Physical Sciences majors at UIUC take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $566.

UIUC also made our Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #3.

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

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$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a year. While working on their degree, physical sciences majors at WIU accumulate an average of around $25,687 in student debt.

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$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Chicago is a great value for physical sciences students. UIC is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIC are $15,603 a year. Physical Sciences majors at UIC take out an average of $20,463 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. While working on their degree, physical sciences majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $20,500 in student debt.

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$50,375 Average Tuition & Fees

Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physical sciences programs. Located in the large city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois Tech are $50,375 per year.

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#7

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL
$60,768 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Northwestern University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physical sciences students. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northwestern are $60,768 a year. While working on their degree, physical sciences majors at Northwestern accumulate an average of around $17,417 in student debt.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Northwestern is ranked #1 for overall quality for physical sciences in Illinois.

Full Physical Sciences at Northwestern University Report

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$47,808 Average Tuition & Fees

Loyola University Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Loyola Chicago are $47,808 a year. After completing their degree, physical sciences graduates from Loyola Chicago carry an average student debtload of $25,286.

In addition to its great value ranking, Loyola Chicago is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois list.

Full Physical Sciences at Loyola University Chicago Report

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#9

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL
$60,963 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Chicago came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois ranking. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UChicago are $60,963 per year. After completing their degree, physical sciences graduates from UChicago carry an average student debtload of $19,972.

UChicago not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois list.

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Best Value Physical Sciences Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 951
Michigan 1,288
Ohio 1,581
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 9 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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