ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Colorado

5 Colleges in the United States
$22,463 Avg Student Debt
$63,473 Avg Median Earnings (10yr)
2026 Best Value Physical Sciences Badge [Physical Sciences](/majors/physical-sciences/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

College Factual analyzed 23 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value physical sciences schools.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/physical-sciences/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/physical-sciences/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/physical-sciences/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/physical-sciences/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/physical-sciences/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/physical-sciences/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/physical-sciences/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 3
DEBUG: ROOT LEVEL MAJOR detected (no cip4), lowering min_relevance to 0.5
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.5, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "Natural & Applied Sciences Graduate Certificate Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Natural & Applied Sciences Graduate Certificate Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Science & Engineering Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Science & Engineering Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Science & Engineering Diploma Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Science & Engineering Diploma Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 3
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 3 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.5
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 3
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 0 offers with relevance >= 1.0
DEBUG: Backfilling with 0 offers with relevance >= 0.9
DEBUG: Backfilling with 1 offers with relevance >= 0.8

2026 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools in Colorado

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the physical sciences degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Physical Sciences Schools

1

Leading the list is Metropolitan State College Of Denver, our #1 best value for physical sciences in Colorado. Metropolitan State College Of Denver is a very large public school located in the city of Denver. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,124, while out-of-state students pay about $30,684. Typical student debt for physical sciences graduates is $29,318. Early-career physical sciences graduates make about $34,417. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Metropolitan State College Of Denver admits about 99% of applicants.

2
Fort Lewis College crest
Fort Lewis College
Durango, CO

Students looking for strong value in physical sciences will find it at Fort Lewis College, which ranked #2. Located in the town of Durango, Fort Lewis College is a mid-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,958, with out-of-state students paying around $21,526. Physical Sciences graduates carry a median of $15,417 in student loans. Physical Sciences graduates of Fort Lewis College earn a median of $34,159 early in their careers. Set against $15,417 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 77%.

3

A rank of #3 makes University Of Northern Colorado one of the best values for physical sciences. Set in the city of Greeley, University Of Northern Colorado is a large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,901, while out-of-state students pay about $26,979. Students borrow a median of $26,617 to complete the physical sciences program here. Physical Sciences graduates of University Of Northern Colorado earn a median of $43,807 early in their careers. Set against $26,617 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 86%.

4

Students looking for strong value in physical sciences will find it at University Of Colorado Denver, which ranked #4. Set in the city of Denver, University Of Colorado Denver is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,383, compared with $29,391 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $22,365 to complete the physical sciences program here. Soon after graduation, physical sciences degree recipients from University Of Colorado Denver generally make around $66,022. That is a strong return on a $22,365 median debt. Roughly 75% of applicants are accepted.

5

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Colorado State University Fort Collins earned it the #5 place for physical sciences. Set in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado State University Fort Collins is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,373, compared with $35,061 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $21,205 to complete the physical sciences program here. Early-career physical sciences graduates make about $57,310. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 88% of applicants are accepted.

ADBLOCK #101
6

University Of Colorado Boulder earned the #6 position for value in physical sciences this year. Located in the city of Boulder, University Of Colorado Boulder is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $15,214 in tuition and fees, compared with $42,970 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for physical sciences graduates is $22,337. Early-career physical sciences graduates make about $50,681. That is a strong return on a $22,337 median debt. University Of Colorado Boulder admits about 78% of applicants.

7

Colorado School Of Mines ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best value physical sciences schools. Set in the suburb of Golden, Colorado School Of Mines is a moderately-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $21,914, with out-of-state students paying around $45,824. Physical Sciences graduates carry a median of $24,521 in student loans. Physical Sciences graduates of Colorado School Of Mines earn a median of $79,523 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $24,521 median debt. Roughly 61% of applicants are accepted.

8
Colorado College crest
Colorado College
Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado College landed the #8 spot for physical sciences value this year. Located in the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $70,734 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $17,921 to complete the physical sciences program here. Soon after graduation, physical sciences degree recipients from Colorado College generally make around $37,342. That is a strong return on a $17,921 median debt. The acceptance rate is 18%.

ADBLOCK #173
View All Physical Sciences Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 23 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 ranked schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options