### SUMMARY

 A degree in Physics is a valuable choice and often a mandatory first step for undergrads trying to pursue a career as an accelerator operator, a laser engineer, or a physics lab technician. In fact, physics is fairly popular ranking as the 61st most popular degree. Last year alone, there were 8,457 physics diplomas received. In-state tuition for physics at private schools is, on average, 4.6 times more spendy than their public fellows.

 There are 786 colleges which offer physics. 786 colleges is on par with other degrees offered in the United States. If you are looking to immerse yourself with other physics undergraduates, look at schools in California which have the most undergraduates admitted to physics annually. More generally, the top region to pursue physics is in the Far West region with [University of California-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley), [University of California-Santa Barbara](/colleges/university-of-california-santa-barbara), and [University of Washington-Seattle Campus](/colleges/university-of-washington-seattle-campus) best representing the region. Interestingly, our pick of the best conference to major in physics is the Pacific-12 Conference with [University of California-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley), [University of California-Los Angeles](/colleges/university-of-california-los-angeles), and [University of Washington-Seattle Campus](/colleges/university-of-washington-seattle-campus) representing the conference. Based on our list on the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges), our choice for the best university for physics is [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology).

 The objectively 'best' school does not mean it is the best school for you. There can be many more facets to consider when selecting institution. Stuff like campus amenities, transportation services, and food would change your decision on where to go to college. At authority.org, we examined the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you are intrigued by which physics college has the top college campus, the answer is [Harvard University](/colleges/harvard-university). If, for example, you are very interested in which school is home to the best campus, we have an entire page [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through student reviews, government databases, professor reviews, and more so we can evaluate all U.S. majors in an unbiased and informative way. You can find our comprehensive list for the colleges with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbsphere and from that list, our selection of the college with the best student life for physics is [Cornell University](/colleges/cornell-university). Are you curious why? Continue scrolling to find out more about our top choices. Some of our picks might surprise you.

 If cost is a primary deciding factor in your decision on where to go to college, you might consider avoiding [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york). [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york)&nbspis our most expensive university for physics, at least for out of state students. We have a page for the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspcolleges that could put the price tag of [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york)&nbspinto perspective. You could also want to know that physics is the 20th most expensive program in the United States, with an average expense of $53,700. On a broader scale, the most costly state for physics nationally is Maine with costs at the main three colleges Bates College at $55,683, Bowdoin College of $55,822, and costs at Colby College of $55,822. To zoom out even further, the most costly region for physics is the New England region which is best demonstrated with [Amherst College](/colleges/amherst-college) with a cost of $57,640, [Tufts University](/colleges/tufts-university) with a cost of $57,324, and [Brown University](/colleges/brown-university) with a cost of $57,112.

 Our cheapest region for physics is the Rocky Mountains region which is represented by [Brigham Young University-Idaho](/colleges/brigham-young-university-idaho) with a cost of $4,208, [Brigham Young University-Provo](/colleges/brigham-young-university-provo) with a cost of $5,790, and [Weber State University](/colleges/weber-state-university) with a cost of $14,973. On the bright side, the most affordable university for physics is [University of Washington-Seattle Campus](/colleges/university-of-washington-seattle-campus). Authority.org's full list of the most affordable schools can be explored [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state students can expect to pay around $10,500 for a degree in physics. That price inflates by a lot to an average of $25,200 for an out-of-state public-school undergraduate. Our selection for the school with the best value for physics: [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology). Through this link you can see our comprehensive list about the colleges we believe to be the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspoverall. With that said, this list is based on being an out-of-state student. A discussion of value changes when in-state tuition costs are considered, but we do not know where you live (and are not trying to collect that kind of data).

 Earnings for physics majors differ widely, but within two years leaving college graduates will regularly earn around $48,200. While there can be a lot of variation in pay; top earners can bring in up to $89,000. Straight out of college, the lowest earning opportunities within the physics space earn $26,100, which is an alright wage. The highest earning grads from physics attended [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology)&nbspand if you want to find the universities with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), Authority has that too.

 The prevailing diversity of physics is on the higher end, being in the 70th percentile of majors nationally. The school with the most composite diversity for physics is [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology)&nbspand here you can find our general list for the universities which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The overall financial diversity of the Physics major ranks only in the 26th percentile of all majors. Racial diversity is actually greater, ranking in the 68th percentile. White undergraduates compose the largest share, 51%, of those majoring in physics. Additionally, 78% of scholars pursuing a physics major are men.

 The median rating for physics professors is 3.9 stars, which is 2% less than the average across every major; this is a subpar ranking. If you are interested in the most popular physics instructor in the nation, look no further than Corey Manchester at [San Diego State University](/colleges/san-diego-state-university). It may be a shock, but the top ranked physics professors by student are at [Arizona State University-Tempe](/colleges/arizona-state-university-tempe). As we including information beyond basic rankings it becomes clear that the university with the best instructors for physics is [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology). You will find an explanation of our ever evolving ranking methodology for the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), along with some of the best examples of professors in the U.S.

 Finally, the most difficult school to get into for physics is [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university). While we do not necessarily see the value in it, we do have a detailed page of the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). Although, here at Authority we do hope you believe that looking at college from examples mainly built on superlatives might create issues. We encourage you to explore our more focused pages on different universities and peruse a couple of our helpful background pages on essential things to look for as your college search continues.



 ### POPULARITY

 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](/rankings/best-colleges-for-philosophy), and narrowly lost to #60 [Criminology](/rankings/best-colleges-for-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 Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in 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 56% of 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](/colleges/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-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley) and [University of California-San Diego](/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more physics graduates than [Arizona Western College](/colleges/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 Technology](/colleges/california-institute-of-technology) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Physics is the 20th most expensive degree in America, with a median cost of $53,725 amongst the top 50 programs (just ahead of #21, [Psychology](rankings/best-colleges-for-psychology), with a median cost of $53,660).

 New England has the most expensive schools with high quality physics programs predominantly led by [Amherst College](/colleges/amherst-college) with an annual cost of $57,640. The most expensive state for physics is Maine led by [Bates College](/colleges/bates-college) and [Bowdoin College](/colleges/bowdoin-college).

 Public schools with solid programs by and large charge 78.32% less than private schools for in-state students. However, when looking at out-of-state tuition, the median top 50 Public school charges 47.82% less than your average private school. So be sure to look into public shools in your state as soon as possible.

 The most expensive top 25 college for physics is [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york), which is the 3rd most expensive college in the US. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Stony Brook University](/colleges/stony-brook-university). It costs just $24,740 per year, and it is ranked 45th for its physics program. If you’re looking for the least expensive option in the top 25, [University of Washington-Seattle Campus](/colleges/university-of-washington-seattle-campus)  is probably for you, ranked #4 with an in-state cost of just $10,370. Another more affordable choice would be #23, [The University of Texas at Austin](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-austin) in Travis County, TX with a cost of $10,824 for in-state students and $38,326 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 Enrolling in college is a major investment for most people. It is critical to have confidence you increase your earning potential. Therefore, we hope the following income and job placement facts help you make an intelligent decision when electing your major.

 The average Physics major brings home a first year salary of $49,623 a year (top 23%). With experience in their occupations, they ordinarily make something between $26,077 and $89,009, but average approximately $48,230. Just so you know, that is 25% over the American average.

 The most popular work title for a Physics graduate is Engineer, which generally make around $59,000; next are Software Engineer and Analyst, which generally earn around $65,000 and $54,000 respectively.

 New England has the highest grossing Physics graduates. The best paid state for Physics graduates is MA. The highest earning conference for Physics graduates is New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference.



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Physics: Median Professor Rating: 3.9 / 5, which is below average.

 Professors often have a critical impact your college experience, no matter what you study. A thought-provoking professor can provide inspiration and even make a difficult subject seem easy. Alternatively, an unpleasant professor can interrupt your schooling or even worse... flunk you!

 Physics professors have a median student rating of 3.9 out of 5, putting these professors in the upper 75th percentile in the United States grounded in student satisfaction. For context a 3.9 rating is 2.5% under the national median professor rating for all subjects. Physics professors just surpassed those from ["Quality Control and Safety Technologies"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-quality-control-and-safety-technologies), whereas ["Management Science"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-management-science)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Physics.

 Now for some statistics about Physics professors. Colleges located in remote towns tend to have the best Physics professors. The Big West Conference has the highest rated Physics professors. The New England region has the highest rated Physics professors. Private universities tend to have higher rated Physics professors than public colleges. Finally, South Carolina has the highest rated Physics professors in the US.

 Corey Manchester, professor at [San Diego State University](/colleges/san-diego-state-university)&nbspin San Diego, CA is the most popular Physics professor in America. Corey Shanbrom, instructor at [California State University-Sacramento](/colleges/california-state-university-sacramento)&nbspin Sacramento, CA is the highest rated Physics professor in America, with a rating of 5 / 5.

 Find out which universities have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College is an exceedingly momentous period in one's life; it is a chance for individual growth and evolution. Undergraduates start to realize who they hope to be and forge many of the must-have skills to be a flourishing adult. But growth goes far beyond the classroom - the discussions which one has with their schoolmates, the life lesson gained from a tenured instructor, the exposure to a different interpretation of the situation. As such, a diverse student body tremendously enriches what you gain from your time in university.

 Physics is a more ethnically diverse focus than average\*. 51% of America's Physics majors are white students, followed by students of other races\*\*(30%), asian students (9%), and latino students (8%). The most racially diverse college\* in the top 100 is [Pomona College](/colleges/pomona-college)&nbspin Claremont, CA.

 In addition, Physics significatly skews male, with 78% of students majoring in Physics identifying as men. The most gender balanced school in the top 100 is [Middlebury College](/colleges/middlebury-college) in Middlebury, VT.

 Another critical type of diversity is economic diversity. Sadly, Physics is one of the US' least financially diverse subjects (Bottom 27%). 32% of its students come from high income homes, 16% are from middle income homes, and 23% grew up in households with a sub $30,000 income. [University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill](/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill) has the most fiscally diverse student body in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall MA is the most diverse state for Physics. The Far West is the most diverse region, and the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 9%
* Black: 2%
* Latino: 8%
* White: 51%
* Other: 30%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 78%
* Female: 22%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 23%
* 30k - 48k: 15%
* 48k - 75k: 16%
* 75k - 110k: 15%
* Over 110k: 32%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 59%
* Out of State: 31%
* International: 10%


2023 Physics Professors

There are about 40,454 students enrolled in Physics in the USA.

PROFESSORS