10 Most Affordable Bachelor’s in Physics

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• The Uni­ver­si­ty of Wash­ing­ton has the #1 school for an afford­able physics bach­e­lor’s degree.
• Grad­u­ates are well-pre­pared for var­i­ous roles in sci­ence, edu­ca­tion, and industry.
• Some pro­grams offer small­er class­es, which can lead to more per­son­al­ized atten­tion and bet­ter learn­ing outcomes.

For stu­dents look­ing for an afford­able degree in physics, there are a wealth of new oppor­tu­ni­ties in the 21st cen­tu­ry. The good news for any­one seek­ing to obtain a STEM degree in the hard sci­ences like physics is that employ­ers are far more inter­est­ed in the student’s abil­i­ty to per­form than they are in where he or she got their degree from. What today’s employ­ers are look­ing for is capa­bil­i­ty, exper­tise, knowl­edge, depend­abil­i­ty, and know-how. Cer­tain­ly, all of these things with the addi­tion of an advanced degree from an Ivy League school is a plus. But it isn’t an absolute neces­si­ty as long as you bring com­pet­i­tive skills to a prospec­tive employer.

In some cas­es, earn­ing a physics degree from a more expen­sive school will be the cheap­er option in the long term. For exam­ple, some of the less afford­able physics col­leges may have con­nec­tions to employ­er net­works that pay bet­ter, or their tuition assis­tance could be free or come with low­er pre­mi­ums depend­ing on your back­ground and stu­dent history.

Methodology: Ranking the Most Affordable Physics Degrees

For the Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter Most Afford­able rank­ings, edi­tors are con­cerned with more than just cost. While all pro­grams are pre­sent­ed accord­ing to their tuition rate (accord­ing to cur­rent IPEDS stats), BDC edi­tors also fea­ture only accred­it­ed, trust­ed insti­tu­tions, so stu­dents know they are get­ting a degree they can count on.

1. University of Washington

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Wash­ing­ton has one of the best afford­able physics schools, and UW’s depart­ment of physics bachelor’s degree pro­gram grad­u­ates about 175 stu­dents each year. Among afford­able physics col­leges, the Uni­ver­si­ty of Wash­ing­ton stands out for its capac­i­ty con­straint, which caps grad­u­a­tions to 175 stu­dents per year. Stu­dents first com­plete a year-long intro­duc­tion to physics that includes inten­sive math and sci­ence curricula.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Wash­ing­ton grad­u­ates 84% of stu­dents, which is an extreme­ly high num­ber com­pared to oth­er schools. The Uni­ver­si­ty is locat­ed in Seat­tle, Wash­ing­ton and the rules near­ly 30,000 under­grad­u­ate learn­ers. few­er than half of those who apply received an accep­tance let­ter, mak­ing this a pres­ti­gious degree rec­og­nized in the area and across the Unit­ed States.

What We Like: The cap on atten­dance in the physics depart­ment allows pro­fes­sors to get to know stu­dents and help them when they’re struggling.

Uni­ver­si­ty of Wash­ing­ton Physics

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Anoth­er one of the best afford­able physics schools, the Uni­ver­si­ty of North Car­oli­na at Chapel Hill offers a BS and a BA in physics. Sim­i­lar to oth­er afford­able physics col­leges, the school strives to keep tuition at afford­able lev­els and offers a bachelor’s of sci­ence that is more math­e­mat­i­cal­ly inten­sive than the BA pro­gram. The BA pro­gram also offers a bit more flex­i­bil­i­ty for elec­tive courses.

UNC is locat­ed in Chapel Hill, North Car­oli­na. This Raleigh area school has over 18,000 stu­dents enrolled in under­grad­u­ate cours­es. Only 23% of those who apply are accept­ed into pro­grams at the school that include biol­o­gy, com­mu­ni­ca­tions and psy­chol­o­gy. The school grad­u­ates a phe­nom­e­nal 89% of its stu­dents, where­as many col­leges grad­u­ate less than 60% of students.

What We Like: UNC is #7 among the top pub­lic uni­ver­si­ties in Amer­i­ca, mak­ing it one of the most sought-after schools in the country.

3. Valdosta State University

Val­dos­ta State Uni­ver­si­ty is one of the best afford­able physics schools. It ranks high­ly among afford­able physics col­leges in part due to its small­er upper-lev­el class­es. With class sizes aver­ag­ing 15 stu­dents, physics majors can get the indi­vid­ual atten­tion they need to under­stand dif­fi­cult con­cepts. The uni­ver­si­ty hires pro­fes­sors and instruc­tors who open­ly engage in research and give stu­dents an oppor­tu­ni­ty to serve as assis­tants. Stu­dents also have access to top tech­nolo­gies for hands-on experience.

Val­dos­ta State Has around 7,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. The school is locat­ed in Val­dos­ta, Geor­gia, and has a com­pet­i­tive accep­tance rate of 63%. Those who receive a wel­come let­ter choose majors such as com­mu­ni­ca­tions, busi­ness, and nurs­ing. More com­pet­i­tive admis­sions stan­dards often cor­re­late to a high­er qual­i­ty of edu­ca­tion and chal­leng­ing coursework.

What We Like: With just over 6 out of 10 stu­dents accept­ed, stu­dents should spend extra time on their appli­ca­tions to make sure that they present the best case for them­selves that they can.

Val­dos­ta State Uni­ver­si­ty Physics

4. Georgia Tech

Geor­gia Tech is anoth­er one of the most afford­able physics col­leges. A degree from Geor­gia Tech opens doors in the indus­try and offer stu­dents a degree from one of the best afford­able physics schools in the coun­try. GT’s bachelor’s of sci­ence in physics help stu­dents pre­pare for grad­u­ate pro­grams or entry-lev­el jobs relat­ed to the field. Stu­dents can also take a con­cen­tra­tion or cer­tifi­cate in astrophysics.

Geor­gia Tech has 14,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents and is locat­ed in an urban area in Atlanta, Geor­gia. This pub­lic col­lege accepts few­er than one in five stu­dents and majors include mechan­i­cal engi­neer­ing, busi­ness and infor­ma­tion sci­ences. Near­ly 87% of stu­dents who start their stud­ies at Geor­gia Tech grad­u­ate. This is an extreme­ly high aver­age and indi­cates sat­is­fac­tion with the school’s aca­d­e­mics and amenities.

What We Like: GT is #3 among the top uni­ver­si­ties in Amer­i­ca, promis­ing stu­dents a great edu­ca­tion­al oppor­tu­ni­ty and high-qual­i­ty fac­ul­ty members.

Geor­gia Tech Physics

5. University of Wisconsin

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Wis­con­sin is one of the best afford­able physics schools. You can get a degree from the depart­ment of physics, which has a his­to­ry of pro­vid­ing the high­est lev­el of edu­ca­tion. Among afford­able physics col­leges, the uni­ver­si­ty stands out due to its long his­to­ry. The first physics grad­u­ate received their degree in 1899. The school now offers oppor­tu­ni­ties were impor­tant research and well-regard­ed aca­d­e­m­ic pro­grams. Stu­dents gain a fun­da­men­tal under­stand­ing of the prop­er­ties of mat­ter, ener­gy and radi­a­tion. This pro­vides a frame­work for fur­ther stud­ies in engi­neer­ing and envi­ron­men­tal sciences.

The Uni­ver­si­ty is locat­ed in Madi­son, Wis­con­sin and has near­ly 30,000 stu­dents at the under­grad­u­ate lev­el. Just over half of stu­dents who apply are accept­ed, and pop­u­lar majors include infor­ma­tion sci­ence, eco­nom­ics and biol­o­gy. Near­ly nine out of 10 stu­dents who begin their edu­ca­tion here also grad­u­ate from Wisconsin.

What We Like: The school has an A+ niche.com score in diver­si­ty, aca­d­e­m­ic, cam­pus life and oth­er categories.

Uni­ver­si­ty of Wis­con­sin Physics

6. University of Virginia

Anoth­er one of the best afford­able physics schools, the Uni­ver­si­ty of Vir­ginia offers a BS in physics that cov­ers a range of majors and they also offer a BA degree. the school ranks high­ly among afford­able physics col­leges due to the num­ber of con­cen­tra­tions avail­able in astron­o­my and physics. There is a very active chap­ter of the Soci­ety of physics stu­dents that meets week­ly and also has infre­quent events. These meet­ings present talks on top­ics relat­ed to the field and teach­ers fac­ul­ty mem­bers from dif­fer­ent depart­ments at the school. They also have pre­sen­ta­tions that pro­vide guid­ance on careers and science.

UVA Only accepts 26% of stu­dents who apply. This large pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty has 16,000 stu­dents at the under­grad­u­ate lev­el and the com­pet­i­tive admis­sions make a degree from UVA valu­able and respect­ed. Stu­dents also choose majors such as lib­er­al arts and human­i­ties and busi­ness. Near­ly all the stu­dents (94%) who begin their edu­ca­tion here graduate.

What We Like: The 26% accep­tance rate speaks to the university’s com­mit­ment to excellence.

Uni­ver­si­ty of Vir­ginia BS in Physics

7. University of Texas at Austin

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Texas at Austin is one of the best afford­able physics schools avail­able. Con­sid­er a degree from this school along with oth­er afford­able physics col­leges. The depart­ment of physics at the school has a lead­ing research-based cur­ricu­lum. stu­dents have excit­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties to work direct­ly with fac­ul­ty mem­bers to uncov­er new dis­cov­er­ies. Stu­dents learn how to ana­lyze and con­jec­ture about the nature of the uni­verse. Man­u­fac­tur­ers, teach­ers, lawyers and sci­en­tists need strong skills in quan­ti­ta­tive analy­sis, and this pro­gram pro­vides that.

UT Austin has near­ly 39,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. Admis­sions are very com­pet­i­tive with just 39% of stu­dents who apply receiv­ing an accep­tance let­ter. Oth­er pop­u­lar majors include biol­o­gy, infor­ma­tion sci­ence and busi­ness. The school grad­u­ates 83% of students.

What We Like: UT Austin is the #1 ranked top pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty in Texas.

Uni­ver­si­ty of Texas at Austin Physics

8. University of Michigan

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Michi­gan is one of the best afford­able physics schools in the coun­try. Among oth­er afford­able physics col­leges, this pro­gram stands out for its rep­u­ta­tion as a research school and its high-tech facil­i­ties for research. If you want a degree that offers you sev­er­al choic­es for career pathing, this might be the school for you. Under­grad­u­ates at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Michi­gan can choose from a BS in physics and in inter­dis­ci­pli­nary physics AB or BS. You can also get your teacher cer­ti­fi­ca­tion in physics or take a physics minor at the school.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Michi­gan is a pub­lic Uni­ver­si­ty and has over 29 thou­sand stu­dents enrolled in his under­grad­u­ate pro­grams. Oth­er majors include busi­ness, eco­nom­ics and infor­ma­tion sci­ence. The school is locat­ed in Ann Arbor, Michi­gan and grad­u­ates 92% of its stu­dents. This is great news for stu­dents who want to go to a sta­ble school with a great reputation.

What We Like: The school ranks #1 among top-rank­ing pub­lic uni­ver­si­ties in America.

Uni­ver­si­ty of Michi­gan Physics

9. University of California, Santa Barbara

At the Uni­ver­si­ty of Cal­i­for­nia, San­ta Bar­bara you can find anoth­er one of the best afford­able physics schools. This pro­gram empha­sizes the fun­da­men­tals of physics, with class­es divid­ed between the­o­ret­i­cal and exper­i­men­tal course­work. Along with oth­er afford­able physics col­leges, the Uni­ver­si­ty of Cal­i­for­nia — San­ta Bar­bara offers stu­dents a high-qual­i­ty edu­ca­tion for afford­able tuition rates. Stu­dents take a six-quar­ter intro­duc­tion pro­gram that takes them through con­cepts that include mass, time, space, ener­gy, waves, motion, states of mat­ter, plas­mas and physics the­o­ries from New­ton to Einstein.

UC San­ta Bar­bara is based in Isla Vista, Cal­i­for­nia near San­ta Bar­bara. Over 22,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents study at this cam­pus and the com­pet­i­tive admis­sions mean that only one out of three appli­ca­tions are accept­ed. That does­n’t seem to stop stu­dents from apply­ing to majors such as eco­nom­ics, soci­ol­o­gy, and psy­chol­o­gy. Also, stu­dents who apply seem to be hap­py with their edu­ca­tion­al expe­ri­ence as 82% of them also grad­u­ate from the university.

What We Like: A 32% accep­tance rate and an A rat­ing for cam­pus, aca­d­e­mics, val­ues and diver­si­ty are stand out fea­tures at the school.

Uni­ver­si­ty of Cal­i­for­nia, San­ta Bar­bara Physics

10. University of Minnesota Twin Cities

At the Uni­ver­si­ty of Min­neso­ta Twin Cities, you can attend one of the best afford­able physics schools in the region. It stands out among afford­able physics col­leges for its flex­i­ble, real­is­tic approach to physics. Stu­dents emerge from this afford­able physics degree pro­gram ready to take on careers in applied physics and engi­neer­ing. Some stu­dents go on to study com­put­er appli­ca­tions or obtain a career and sec­ondary edu­ca­tion. Oth­ers choose to enter the bio­med­ical sci­ences field. A back­ground in physics is excel­lent prepa­ra­tion for all these oppor­tu­ni­ties. Stu­dents can also pur­sue a physics major steeped in the lib­er­al arts.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Min­neso­ta is a high­ly rat­ed pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty locat­ed in Min­neapo­lis, Min­neso­ta. It has 30,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents and just over half of appli­cants are accept­ed. Oth­er pop­u­lar majors include biol­o­gy and psy­chol­o­gy. Eight out of 10 stu­dents who enroll com­plete their degrees.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty of Min­neso­ta is the #1 ranked pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty in Minnesota.

Uni­ver­si­ty of Min­neso­ta Twin Cities Physics

How Do I Save Money on a Physics Degree?

These days, find­ing a list of the best afford­able physics schools will only be a mat­ter of per­form­ing a sim­ple Google search. From there, it’s your job to look through all of the rel­e­vant infor­ma­tion on the schools that come up on your list. Your first con­sid­er­a­tion, nat­u­ral­ly, will be their tuition prices. Does the school you are con­sid­er­ing offer schol­ar­ships, loans, and oth­er forms of tuition assis­tance? Does the school have remote class­rooms or dis­tance learning?

Your first task is to decide what you want to do with your cheap physics degree. Are you inter­est­ed in geo­physics, cryo­gen­ics, flu­id mechan­ics, bio­physics, nuclear physics, or some oth­er area of physics? Then, you will look up afford­able schools that offer a physics degree in the spe­cial­ty you’re inter­est­ed in.

You should do your best to col­lect as much infor­ma­tion as pos­si­ble on poten­tial afford­able physics col­leges that you may want to attend. Then, talk to an aca­d­e­m­ic coun­selor for advice.

How Much Can I Make with a Degree in Physics?

Of course, high on your list of con­sid­er­a­tions will be how much your physics degree salary will be worth after you grad­u­ate. The job that you expect to train for, the con­nec­tions you are like­ly to make at a giv­en school, and pro­ject­ed demand for the job you are aim­ing for will all play a major fac­tor in how afford­able your edu­ca­tion might be.

If you can demon­strate your abil­i­ty to earn a high degree in physics salary, then there’s a good chance that the inter­est rate on any applic­a­ble loans may be sig­nif­i­cant­ly lower.

As you are prob­a­bly aware, you can expect to earn a good liv­ing with your physics degree jobs salary. The pay range for physics degree hold­ers does vary quite a bit. The bot­tom 20% of physics degree salaries is $63K a year on aver­age and the top 20% of physics degree salaries is on aver­age more than $200K a year. The remain­ing 60% of physics degree hold­ers earn an aver­age of $122K per year.

Even at the low­est rung on the physics salary pay scale, you can expect to be well above the com­mon house­hold income in the Unit­ed States. With num­bers like that, you can rest assured that your pro­ject­ed physics degree jobs salary will make your time in col­lege more affordable.

Should I Get a Certificate in Physics Instead of a Degree? 

In today’s high­ly tech­no­log­i­cal world, physics pro­fes­sion­als are in greater demand than ever before. That means, attend­ing even free online physics cours­es with cer­tifi­cate just might be the smartest career move you’ll make this decade.

If you read our sec­tion enti­tled “How Do I Save Mon­ey on a Physics Degree?” then you know that the school you attend and the paper you receive on grad­u­a­tion is not the pri­ma­ry con­sid­er­a­tion that employ­ers make when they hire a physics expert. What they look for is knowl­edge, com­pe­tence, and reli­a­bil­i­ty- and you do not need to be a Rhodes Schol­ar to have that.

The fact is that dis­tance learn­ing, e‑learning, and online cer­tifi­cates are more read­i­ly avail­able and more accept­ed by top qual­i­ty employ­ers than ever before. You could obtain a physics cer­tifi­cate online that is just as valu­able, or more valu­able in some cas­es, than an expen­sive degree from a four-year brick and mor­tar college.

There are many online schools that offer free online physics cours­es with cer­tifi­cate upon com­ple­tion. Of course, before you seek to obtain a physics cer­tifi­cate online, it is advis­able to check the school’s accred­i­ta­tion, rep­u­ta­tion, and his­to­ry of stu­dent success.

An online physics cer­tifi­cate could be your tick­et to a great job in a voca­tion that you love. Or online cer­tifi­cate cours­es in physics could be the per­fect addi­tion to your exist­ing train­ing and accom­plish­ments. Online physics cer­tifi­cate pro­grams are a great way to open doors to a career in physics or to advance in your cur­rent career path.

With the ever-grow­ing demand for STEM field experts, the ques­tion is, can you afford not to earn your online physics cer­tifi­cate or degree?

Relat­ed Rankings:

25 Best Bach­e­lor’s in Physics

25 Best Online Accel­er­at­ed Com­bined Physics BS/MS

5 Best Online Bach­e­lor’s in Physics