2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Physical Sciences School for You
In 2020-2021, 1,594 degrees and certificates were awarded to physical sciences students who went to a North Carolina college or university. This makes it the #17 most popular major in the state.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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 North Carolina to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 8 schools in North Carolina 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.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Best North Carolina Schools for Affordable Quality in Physical Sciences
Our analysis found Western Carolina University to be the best value school for physical sciences students who want to pursue a degree in North Carolina. Located in the distant town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public school with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCU are $4,367 per year. Physical Sciences majors at WCU take out an average of $21,451 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 East Carolina University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina list. ECU is a very large public school located in the small city of Greenville.
ECU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, physical sciences majors at ECU accumulate an average of around $24,250 in student debt.
ECU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina list.
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Out of the 8 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public college with a very large student population.
UNC Charlotte undergraduate students pay an average of $7,188 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, physical sciences graduates from UNC Charlotte carry an average student debtload of $25,964.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Charlotte also is in the top 15% of our Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina ranking.
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Out of the 8 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, North Carolina State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NC State are $9,131 per year. After completing their degree, physical sciences graduates from NC State carry an average student debtload of $23,710.
NC State also took the #5 spot in our Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina rankings.
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The excellent programs at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best physical sciences schools in North Carolina. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNC Chapel Hill are $9,028 per year. The average amount in student loans that physical sciences majors at UNC Chapel Hill take out is $15,188.
UNC Chapel Hill did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina list.
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With a ranking of #6, University of North Carolina at Wilmington did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physical sciences students. UNCW is a large public school located in the city of Wilmington.
UNCW undergraduate students pay an average of $7,238 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, physical sciences majors at UNCW accumulate an average of around $23,901 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $278, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
UNCW also claimed a spot on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Appalachian State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physical sciences programs. Appalachian State is a fairly large public school located in the town of Boone.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Appalachian State are $7,410 a year. On average, physical sciences graduates from Appalachian State take out $24,191 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $188.
Appalachian State also claimed a spot on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #8, Wake Forest University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physical sciences students. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wake Forest University are $59,770 per year. On average, physical sciences graduates from Wake Forest University take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Wake Forest University also took the #2 spot in our Best Physical Sciences Schools in North Carolina rankings.
Request InformationBest Value Physical Sciences Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| West Virginia | 238 |
| Mississippi | 518 |
| South Carolina | 424 |
| Florida | 1,506 |
| Virginia | 1,478 |
| Arkansas | 370 |
| Alabama | 554 |
| Kentucky | 455 |
| Georgia | 1,064 |
| Tennessee | 721 |
| Louisiana | 477 |
More Physical Sciences Rankings in North Carolina
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 Related Majors
| 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 8 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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