2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Physical Sciences School for You
Out of all the majors we analyze each year, physical sciences was ranked #19 in the country. In fact 50,306 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in the Plains States 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.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Physical Sciences Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Missouri State University - Springfield the best value school in the Plains States Region for physical sciences students. Missouri State is a very large public school located in the city of Springfield.
Missouri State undergraduate students pay an average of $16,498 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, physical sciences graduates from Missouri State carry an average student debtload of $25,080.
Full Physical Sciences at Missouri State University - Springfield Report
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Minnesota - Morris is a great value for physical sciences students. Located in the remote town of Morris, UMN Morris is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMN Morris are $15,940 per year. On average, physical sciences graduates from UMN Morris take out $26,607 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Out of the 15 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the small city of Ames.
Iowa State undergraduate students pay an average of $25,446 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, physical sciences graduates from Iowa State carry an average student debtload of $22,934.
Iowa State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list.
Full Physical Sciences at Iowa State University Report
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Out of the 15 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Wichita State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Wichita, WSU is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WSU are $18,165 a year. While working on their degree, physical sciences majors at WSU accumulate an average of around $30,275 in student debt.
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Out of the 15 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the # 5 spot on the list. UMN Duluth is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Duluth.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMN Duluth are $19,148 per year. The average amount in student loans that physical sciences majors at UMN Duluth take out is $23,725.
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Winona State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physical sciences programs. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Winona.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Winona State are $16,684 a year. On average, physical sciences graduates from Winona State take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Winona State also claimed a spot on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Full Physical Sciences at Winona State University Report
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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physical sciences programs. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UMN Twin Cities undergraduate students pay an average of $33,818 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that physical sciences majors at UMN Twin Cities take out is $25,012. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $344, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
UMN Twin Cities excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list.
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University of Missouri - St Louis ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. UMSL is a large public school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UMSL are $30,570 a year.
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University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value physical sciences programs. Mizzou is a very large public school located in the city of Columbia.
Mizzou undergraduate students pay an average of $30,450 in tuition and fees each year. On average, physical sciences graduates from Mizzou take out $21,583 in student loans while working on their degree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Mizzou also did well on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #10, University of Iowa did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physical sciences students. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public college with a very large student population.
Iowa undergraduate students pay an average of $31,905 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that physical sciences majors at Iowa take out is $26,625.
Iowa excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Iowa
Request InformationBest Physical Sciences Colleges by State
Explore the best physical sciences schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 325 |
| Minnesota | 891 |
| Iowa | 427 |
| South Dakota | 144 |
| Missouri | 765 |
| Nebraska | 229 |
| North Dakota | 85 |
More Physical Sciences Rankings in the Plains States Region
Physical Sciences Related Majors for 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 15 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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