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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools

149 Colleges in the United States
7,715 Bachelor's Degrees
$46,443 Avg Early-Career Salary
a bachelor's degree in physics is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #62 out of 363 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 149 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of physics. Combined, these schools handed out 7,715 bachelor's degrees in physics to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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Choosing a Great Physics School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools The physics bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality physics program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for physics students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Physics Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

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Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Physics in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in physics. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Physics

1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a wonderful decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in physics. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Those physics students who get their bachelor's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology make $8,330 more than the typical physics student.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2
32 Annual Graduates

University of Notre Dame is a great option for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in physics. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Notre Dame

3
23 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in physics has to look into Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Johns Hopkins University

4

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in physics. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.

Bachelor's recipients from the physics major at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor get $6,576 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

5
71 Annual Graduates
$45,900 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Arizona

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6

RPI is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Troy.

Bachelor's recipients from the physics program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute make $13,905 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

7

UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla.

Physics bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - San Diego receive an earnings boost of around $2,508 above the typical earnings of physics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - San Diego

8

Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca.

Bachelor's recipients from the physics program at Cornell University earn $4,490 above the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Cornell University

9
26 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Columbia University in the City of New York

10

UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley.

Those physics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Berkeley earn $3,776 more than the typical physics graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - Berkeley

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11
47 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Virginia - Main Campus

12
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
15 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Duke University

13
40 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Rochester

14

UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the large city of Irvine.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the physics program report average early career earnings of $43,144.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - Irvine

15
183 Annual Graduates
$53,597 Median Starting Salary
$32,761 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those physics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Santa Barbara receive $7,154 more than the average physics student.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - Santa Barbara

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16

UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill.

Physics bachelor's degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill get an earnings boost of approximately $16,204 above the average earnings of physics graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

17
62 Annual Graduates

Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - Davis

18
125 Annual Graduates
$41,474 Median Starting Salary
$40,684 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the physics program state that they receive average early career income of $41,474.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

19

Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Physics bachelor's degree recipients from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities earn a boost of around $7,907 over the typical earnings of physics graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

20

Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the physics program make around $36,878 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Wisconsin - Madison

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21

Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the physics program at University of California - Los Angeles make $14,052 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - Los Angeles

22

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbus.

Those physics students who get their bachelor's degree from Ohio State University - Main Campus make $7,061 more than the typical physics graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Ohio State University - Main Campus

23

UMCP is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of College Park.

After graduation, physics bachelor's recipients usually make an average of $39,825 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Maryland - College Park

24
51 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Massachusetts Amherst

25

Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.

Physics bachelor's degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earn a boost of around $4,576 above the typical earnings of physics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Rest of the Top Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools

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27
28
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
29
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Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
30 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY
31 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
32 New York University New York, NY
33 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
34 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
35 Iowa State University Ames, IA
36 University of Delaware Newark, DE
37 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
38 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
39 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA
40 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
41 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
42 Clemson University Clemson, SC
43 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
44 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
45 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
46 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
47 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
48 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
49 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
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Physics by Region

View the Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes
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View All Rankings >

Physics is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.

Physics Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Physics 7,331
Other Physics 256
Acoustics 63
Optics/Optical Sciences 54
Theoretical & Mathematical Physics 11
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Majors Similar to Physics

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 13,247
Geological & Earth Sciences 5,022
Astronomy & Astrophysics 1,035
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 828
General Physical Sciences 356
Other Physical Science 192
Materials Sciences 166
Physics and Astronomy 24

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Notes and References

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