8,457
Graduates Per Year
$48K
Average Salary
#61
Most Popular Major
Degree Stats
Popular
8,457
13% NATIONAL AVG
Diplomas Received Last Year
786
5% NATIONAL AVG
Colleges Offering this Degree
Most Popular Degrees
60
Criminology
8,478
61
Physics
8,457
62
Philosophy
8,093
Most Widely Offered Degrees
35
/
1.852
Worse
Better
Top 100 Colleges offering this degree
Degree Granting Schools that are Public
Most Graduates
By Region
Far West
University of California-Berkeley
By State
California
University of California-Berkeley
By Conference
Pacific-12 Conference
University of California-Berkeley
By School
Arizona Western College
If you think life as an accelerator operator, laser engineer, or physics lab technician sounds interesting, then a degree in physics may just be for you. You could even become a medical laser physicist!
Physics is the 61st most popular degree in America, with 8,457 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #62 Philosophy, and narrowly lost to #60 Criminology
The degree is offered at a total of 786 colleges across the nation, and is the 26th most widely offered degree. Given that physics is offered at 94% of the Top 100 Best Collegesin America, you can be sure this is a critical degree and the skillsets acquired are likely to last for a long time.
It is also worth noting that barely over five in every nine colleges offering physics are public making it a pretty accessible field.
The far west produces the most physics graduates, largely led by University of California-Berkeley, while it’s the Pacific-12 Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from University of California-Berkeleyand University of California-San Diego.
All that being said, no individual school produces more physics graduates than Arizona Western College, which graduated 176 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study physics). More students studied physics as a percentage of total students at California Institute of Technologythan any other college.
Good luck on your college search and we hope you enjoy Authority's 2022 official Best Colleges for Physics list. Some of our picks may surprise you!
We wish you luck on your college search. We hope you enjoy Authority's 2022 official Best Colleges for Physics list. Some of our picks may surprise you!
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#1 Best Colleges for Physics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a large private university located in Cambridge, MA ranked 1stin the US. It has a total of 4,698 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 6.7% of applicants. Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers 114 different majors and is best known for its computer science, mathematics, and physics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $53,450 per year, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is exceptionally expensive. 90% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, entering the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $104,700 per year, which is 152% above the national median.
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Cambridge, MA
web.mit.edu/
A+
Rating
7%
Acceptance
12,321
Students
# 1
Ranking
$53,450
Tuition
#2 Best Colleges for Physics
California Institute of Technology is a small private university located in Pasadena, CA ranked 19thin the US. It has a total of 989 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, with a 6.42% acceptance rate. California Institute of Technology offers 93 different majors and is best known for its computational mathematics, astrophysics, and physics programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $52,506 per year, California Institute of Technology is very high-priced. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $85,900 per year, which is 107% above the national median.
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Pasadena, CA
www.caltech.edu
A+
Rating
6%
Acceptance
2,334
Students
# 19
Ranking
$52,506
Tuition
#3 Best Colleges for Physics
University of California-Berkeley is a very large public university located in Berkeley, CA ranked 68thin the nation. It has a total of 32,700 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 16.25% of applicants. University of California-Berkeley offers 315 different majors and is best known for its cellular biology and anatomical sciences, natural resources and conservation, and environmental studies programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $11,442 for in-state students and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-Berkeley is rather costly. 58.68% of students graduate moving on to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $64,700 per year, which is 56% over the national median.
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Berkeley, CA
www.berkeley.edu
A+
Rating
16%
Acceptance
45,183
Students
# 7
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#4 Best Colleges for Physics
University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a very large public university located in Seattle, WA ranked 110thin the United States. It has a total of 39,443 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 51.76% of applicants. University of Washington-Seattle Campus offers 687 different majors and is best known for its informatics, environmental science, and physician assistant studies programs, which are all nationally ranked 2nd. With a tuition cost of $10,370 for in-state students and $37,071 for those from out-of-state, University of Washington-Seattle Campus is rather high-priced. 77.21% of students graduate moving on to the next phase of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $57,700 per year, which is 39% greater than the national median.
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Seattle, WA
www.washington.edu
A
Rating
52%
Acceptance
56,315
Students
# 15
Ranking
$37,071
Tuition
#5 Best Colleges for Physics
Harvard University is a very large private university located in Cambridge, MA ranked 3rdin the United States. It has a total of 14,467 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, with a 4.64% acceptance rate. Harvard University offers 375 different majors and is best known for its history, social sciences, and natural sciences programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $47,730 per year, Harvard University is exceptionally high-priced. 77.7% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $89,700 per year, which is 116% greater than the national median.
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Cambridge, MA
www.harvard.edu
A+
Rating
5%
Acceptance
41,987
Students
# 3
Ranking
$47,730
Tuition
#6 Best Colleges for Physics
Stanford University is a large private university located in Stanford, CA ranked 2ndin America. It has a total of 8,290 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 4.34% of applicants. Stanford University offers 227 different majors and is best known for its human biology, industrial management, and earth sciences programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $52,857 per year, Stanford University is very high-priced. 89.2% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, joining the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $94,000 per year, which is 126% over the national median.
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Stanford, CA
www.stanford.edu/
A+
Rating
4%
Acceptance
20,993
Students
# 2
Ranking
$52,857
Tuition
#7 Best Colleges for Physics
University of Chicago is a large private university located in Chicago, IL ranked 10thin the nation. It has a total of 7,674 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, with a 6.17% acceptance rate. University of Chicago offers 218 different majors and is best known for its econometrics and quantitative economics, economics, and counseling psychology programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $57,642 per year, University of Chicago is exceptionally expensive. 79.52% of students graduate moving on to the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $68,100 per year, which is 64% greater than the national median.
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Chicago, IL
WWW.UCHICAGO.EDU
A+
Rating
6%
Acceptance
19,659
Students
# 10
Ranking
$57,642
Tuition
#8 Best Colleges for Physics
University of California-Santa Barbara is a very large public university located in Santa Barbara, CA ranked 97thin America. It has a total of 24,638 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, accepting narrowly over 2/7 of applicants. University of California-Santa Barbara offers 182 different majors and is best known for its actuarial science, sociology, and experimental psychology programs (nationally ranked 1st, 2nd, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $11,442 for students from California and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-Santa Barbara is rather high-priced. 64.93% of students graduate moving on to the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $55,300 per year, which is 33% above the national median.
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Santa Barbara, CA
www.ucsb.edu
A
Rating
30%
Acceptance
27,685
Students
# 12
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#9 Best Colleges for Physics
Yale University is a large private university located in New Haven, CT ranked 4thin America. It has a total of 6,748 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 6.08% of applicants. Yale University offers 297 different majors and is best known for its american studies, religious studies, and history programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $55,500 per year, Yale University is extremely expensive. 89.63% of students graduate ready to the next phase of their lives, entering the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $83,200 per year, which is 100% above the national median.
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New Haven, CT
https://www.yale.edu
A+
Rating
6%
Acceptance
14,389
Students
# 4
Ranking
$55,500
Tuition
#10 Best Colleges for Physics
Princeton University is a mid-sized private university located in Princeton, NJ ranked 5thin America. It has a total of 5,535 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 5.78% of applicants. Princeton University offers 125 different majors and is best known for its ecology and evolutionary biology, molecular biology, and classics and classical languages literatures and linguistics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $51,870 per year, Princeton University is exceptionally high-priced. 88.56% of students graduate moving on to the next stage of their lives, entering the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $74,700 per year, which is 80% greater than the national median.
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Princeton, NJ
www.princeton.edu
A+
Rating
6%
Acceptance
8,720
Students
# 5
Ranking
$51,870
Tuition
#11 Best Colleges for Physics
Cornell University is a very large private university located in Ithaca, NY ranked 11thin the United States. It has a total of 15,464 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, with a 10.85% acceptance rate. Cornell University offers 323 different majors and is best known for its human resources, agricultural business and management, and agriculture programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $56,550 per year, Cornell University is exceptionally pricey. 89.35% of students graduate moving on to the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $77,200 per year, which is 86% above the national median.
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Ithaca, NY
www.cornell.edu
A+
Rating
11%
Acceptance
24,189
Students
# 11
Ranking
$56,550
Tuition
#12 Best Colleges for Physics
Johns Hopkins University is a very large private university located in Baltimore, MD ranked 7thin the nation. It has a total of 8,185 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 11.17% of applicants. Johns Hopkins University offers 362 different majors and is best known for its public health, neuroscience, and biophysics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $55,350 per year, Johns Hopkins University is extremely costly. 83.58% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, entering the labor force. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $73,200 per year, which is 76% above the national median.
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Baltimore, MD
www.jhu.edu
A+
Rating
11%
Acceptance
33,543
Students
# 7
Ranking
$55,350
Tuition
#13 Best Colleges for Physics
University of Pennsylvania is a very large private university located in Philadelphia, PA ranked 8thin the US. It has a total of 14,000 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 7.66% of applicants. University of Pennsylvania offers 355 different majors and is best known for its finance, management sciences and quantitative methods, and philosophy programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $51,156 per year, University of Pennsylvania is exceptionally costly. 81.13% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, entering the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $85,900 per year, which is 107% over the national median.
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Philadelphia, PA
www.upenn.edu
A+
Rating
8%
Acceptance
29,813
Students
# 8
Ranking
$51,156
Tuition
#14 Best Colleges for Physics
Columbia University in the City of New York is a very large private university located in New York, NY ranked 9thin the United States. It has a total of 8,628 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 5.45% of applicants. Columbia University in the City of New York offers 467 different majors and is best known for its sustainability studies, art history, and slavic baltic and albanian languages literatures and linguistics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $58,920 per year, Columbia University in the City of New York is exceptionally high-priced. 78.72% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $83,300 per year, which is 101% above the national median.
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New York, NY
www.columbia.edu
A+
Rating
5%
Acceptance
33,301
Students
# 9
Ranking
$58,920
Tuition
#15 Best Colleges for Physics
Brown University is a large private university located in Providence, RI ranked 12thin the US. It has a total of 7,428 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, with a 7.07% acceptance rate. Brown University offers 265 different majors and is best known for its entrepreneurship, african studies, and latin american and caribbean studies programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $57,112 per year, Brown University is very pricey. 87.69% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $67,500 per year, which is 63% above the national median.
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Providence, RI
www.brown.edu
A+
Rating
7%
Acceptance
10,760
Students
# 12
Ranking
$57,112
Tuition
#16 Best Colleges for Physics
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a very large public university located in Ann Arbor, MI ranked 37thin the US. It has a total of 31,206 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, accepting 22.91% of applicants. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor offers 433 different majors and is best known for its experimental psychology, data modeling and database administration, and german language and literature programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $15,230 for students from Michigan and $50,872 for those from out-of-state, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is extremely expensive. 86.28% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, joining the labor force. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $63,400 per year, which is 53% above the national median.
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Ann Arbor, MI
https://umich.edu/
A+
Rating
23%
Acceptance
48,218
Students
# 2
Ranking
$50,872
Tuition
#17 Best Colleges for Physics
Duke University is a large private university located in Durham, NC ranked 6thin America. It has a total of 7,338 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, with a 7.6% acceptance rate. Duke University offers 242 different majors and is best known for its public policy analysis, computer engineering, and education programs (nationally ranked 1st, 2nd, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $55,880 per year, Duke University is extremely high-priced. 94.41% of students graduate starting the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $84,400 per year, which is 103% over the national median.
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Durham, NC
WWW.DUKE.EDU
A+
Rating
8%
Acceptance
18,159
Students
# 6
Ranking
$55,880
Tuition
#18 Best Colleges for Physics
University of Rochester is a large private university located in Rochester, NY ranked 51stin the US. It has a total of 7,308 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, accepting 29.71% of applicants. University of Rochester offers 277 different majors and is best known for its computational science, music performance, and jazz programs (nationally ranked 1st, 2nd, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $55,040 per year, University of Rochester is very costly. 79.93% of students graduate ready to the next phase of their lives, joining the labor force. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $61,200 per year, which is 47% over the national median.
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Rochester, NY
https://www.rochester.edu
A+
Rating
30%
Acceptance
13,269
Students
# 47
Ranking
$55,040
Tuition
#19 Best Colleges for Physics
University of California-Los Angeles is a very large public university located in Los Angeles, CA ranked 33rdin the US. It has a total of 33,703 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, with a 12.32% acceptance rate. University of California-Los Angeles offers 333 different majors and is best known for its psychology, sociology, and political science and government programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $11,442 for students from California and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-Los Angeles is rather high-priced. 80.62% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $60,700 per year, which is 46% over the national median.
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Los Angeles, CA
www.ucla.edu/
A+
Rating
12%
Acceptance
47,103
Students
# 1
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#20 Best Colleges for Physics
Harvey Mudd College is a very small private liberal arts college located in Claremont, CA ranked 56thin America. It has a total of 923 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 13.67% of applicants. Harvey Mudd College offers 18 different majors and is best known for its mathematics and computer scienceand physics programs, which are respectively ranked 2nd and 20th in the nation. With a tuition cost of $58,359 per year, Harvey Mudd College is very expensive. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $88,800 per year, which is 114% above the national median.
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Claremont, CA
https://www.hmc.edu
A+
Rating
14%
Acceptance
923
Students
# 52
Ranking
$58,359
Tuition
#21 Best Colleges for Physics
University of California-San Diego is a very large public university located in La Jolla, CA ranked 66thin America. It has a total of 31,840 full-time undergraduate students and is somewhat competitive, accepting 31.48% of applicants. University of California-San Diego offers 228 different majors and is best known for its biological and biomedical sciences, global studies, and cognitive science programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $11,442 for students from California and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-San Diego is rather high-priced. 78.44% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $59,900 per year, which is 44% above the national median.
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La Jolla, CA
www.ucsd.edu
A+
Rating
31%
Acceptance
39,811
Students
# 6
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#22 Best Colleges for Physics
Washington University in St Louis is a large private university located in Saint Louis, MO ranked 15thin America. It has a total of 8,774 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 13.85% of applicants. Washington University in St Louis offers 291 different majors and is best known for its anthropology, design and visual communications, and environmental biology programs, which are all nationally ranked 2nd. With a tuition cost of $54,250 per year, Washington University in St Louis is extremely high-priced. 88.9% of students graduate starting the next phase of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $70,100 per year, which is 69% greater than the national median.
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Saint Louis, MO
www.wustl.edu
A+
Rating
14%
Acceptance
17,794
Students
# 15
Ranking
$54,250
Tuition
#23 Best Colleges for Physics
The University of Texas at Austin is a very large public university located in Austin, TX ranked 81stin the nation. It has a total of 43,132 full-time undergraduate students and is somewhat competitive, accepting narrowly south of 1 in 3 applicants. The University of Texas at Austin offers 339 different majors and is best known for its communication sciences and disorders, writing, and accounting programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $10,824 for in-state students and $38,326 for those from out-of-state, The University of Texas at Austin is quite pricey. 77.77% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $58,200 per year, which is 40% greater than the national median.
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Austin, TX
www.utexas.edu
A+
Rating
32%
Acceptance
55,128
Students
# 10
Ranking
$38,326
Tuition
#24 Best Colleges for Physics
Rice University is a mid-sized private university located in Houston, TX ranked 22ndin the US. It has a total of 4,145 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 8.72% of applicants. Rice University offers 150 different majors and is best known for its biochemistry, fitness administration, and cognitive science programs (nationally ranked 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively). With a tuition cost of $48,330 per year, Rice University is extremely high-priced. 85.71% of students graduate moving on to the next chapter of their lives, entering the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $65,400 per year, which is 57% greater than the national median.
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Houston, TX
www.rice.edu
A+
Rating
9%
Acceptance
7,542
Students
# 22
Ranking
$48,330
Tuition
#25 Best Colleges for Physics
University of Notre Dame is a large private university located in Notre Dame, IN ranked 16thin the nation. It has a total of 8,803 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 15.83% of applicants. University of Notre Dame offers 173 different majors and is best known for its pre medical studies, theological and ministerial studies, and italian language and literature programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $55,046 per year, University of Notre Dame is exceptionally expensive. 94.34% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $78,400 per year, which is 89% above the national median.
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Notre Dame, IN
www.nd.edu
A+
Rating
16%
Acceptance
13,221
Students
# 16
Ranking
$55,046
Tuition