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Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois

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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.

2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois

Check out the physical sciences programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Best Illinois Schools for Affordable Quality in Physical Sciences

$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Illinois State University to be the best value school for physical sciences students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $13,968 per 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.

Full Physical Sciences at Illinois State University Report

$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 college with a very 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 took the #3 spot in our Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois rankings.

Full Physical Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois list. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a medium-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.

Full Physical Sciences at Western Illinois University Report

$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Illinois at Chicago helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best physical sciences schools in Illinois. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

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

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago

$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 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.

Full Physical Sciences at Northern Illinois University Report

$50,375 Average Tuition & Fees

Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Illinois Tech are $50,375 a year.

Full Physical Sciences at Illinois Institute of Technology Report

#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 fairly large student population.

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

Northwestern not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois list.

Read More…

$47,808 Average Tuition & Fees

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

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

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Loyola Chicago also did well on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read More…

#9

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL
$60,963 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Chicago landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physical sciences programs. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

UChicago undergraduate students pay an average of $60,963 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, physical sciences graduates from UChicago carry an average student debtload of $19,972.

UChicago also took the #2 spot in our Best Physical Sciences Schools in Illinois rankings.

Full Physical Sciences at University of Chicago Report

Best Value Physical Sciences Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Physical Sciences Colleges 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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