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Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

5 Colleges
$17,184 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,871 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Physical Sciences School for You

Physical Sciences is the #21 most popular major in Virginia with 241 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 5 schools in Virginia 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. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia

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

Best Virginia Schools for Affordable Quality in Physical Sciences

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA
$14,174 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Virginia Tech to be the best value school for physical sciences students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Virginia Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $14,174 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Virginia Tech also took the #3 spot in our Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia rankings.

Full Physical Sciences at Virginia Tech Report

#2

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA
$23,812 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia list. Located in the small suburb of Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at William & Mary are $23,812 per year.

William & Mary did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia list.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at William & Mary

#3

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA
$13,119 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at George Mason University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best physical sciences schools in Virginia. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GMU are $13,119 a year.

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

Full Physical Sciences at George Mason University Report

$15,028 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia list. Located in the midsize city of Richmond, VCU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

VCU undergraduate students pay an average of $15,028 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

$19,785 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Virginia list. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a very large student population.

University of Virginia undergraduate students pay an average of $19,785 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Virginia - Main Campus

Best 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
Mississippi 162
Florida 469
North Carolina 441
Tennessee 161
Georgia 240
South Carolina 89
Louisiana 146
West Virginia 49
Kentucky 92
Arkansas 69
Alabama 123

Physical Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 5,005
Physics 3,727
Geological & Earth Sciences 2,491
Materials Sciences 448
Astronomy & Astrophysics 371
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 342
Other Physical Science 191
General Physical Sciences 107
Physics and Astronomy 23

Related Major Annual Graduates
Engineering 61,791
Computer & Information Sciences 60,971
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 28,851
Mathematics & Statistics 15,127
Engineering Technologies 7,672

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 5 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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