2025 Best Physics Schools in New York
13
Colleges in New York
1,121
Physics Degrees Awarded
$52,956
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in
physics, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #68 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 13 schools in New York to determine which ones were the best for physics students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,121 degrees in physics to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Physics School
The physics program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Physics rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for physics schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Pick Your Physics Degree Level
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Physics Schools in New York list to help you make the college decision.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Physics in New York
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the physics degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top New York Schools in Physics
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a good decision for students interested in a degree in physics. Located in the small city of Troy, RPI is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #64 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means RPI is a great school overall.
There were roughly 60 physics students who graduated with this degree at RPI in the most recent year we have data available. Those physics students who get their degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute make $7,392 more than the average physics graduate.
More information about a degree in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In NY
51
Physics Degrees Awarded
Columbia University in the City of New York is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in physics. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.
There were roughly 51 physics students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in physics from Columbia University in the City of New York
Cornell University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in physics. Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.
There were roughly 109 physics students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the physics program report average early career wages of $50,933.
More information about a degree in physics from Cornell University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In NY
110
Physics Degrees Awarded
Every student who is interested in physics has to check out University of Rochester. University of Rochester is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Rochester. A Best Colleges rank of #82 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Rochester is a great university overall.
There were roughly 110 physics students who graduated with this degree at University of Rochester in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in physics from University of Rochester
Located in the suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. This school ranks 13th out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were roughly 59 physics students who graduated with this degree at RIT in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the physics program report average early career wages of $48,374.
More information about a degree in physics from Rochester Institute of Technology
SUNY Stony Brook is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Stony Brook. This university ranks 14th out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were about 116 physics students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Stony Brook in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, physics degree recipients generally earn around $44,562 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in physics from Stony Brook University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
10th
Most Popular In NY
32
Physics Degrees Awarded
Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Syracuse is a great university overall.
There were roughly 32 physics students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in physics from Syracuse University
NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 141 physics students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the physics program state that they receive average early career income of $26,691.
More information about a degree in physics from New York University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
9th
Most Popular In NY
University at Buffalo is a very large public university located in the suburb of Buffalo. This university ranks 18th out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were approximately 27 physics students who graduated with this degree at University at Buffalo in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in physics from University at Buffalo
CCNY is a fairly large public college located in the large city of New York. This college ranks 65th out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were approximately 24 physics students who graduated with this degree at CCNY in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the physics program report average early career wages of $48,908.
More information about a degree in physics from The City College of New York