2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major
191
Ranked Colleges
1,958
Degrees Awarded
$81,190
Avg Salary
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Physics is the 68th most popular major in the country with 13,447 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , physics graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $42,912 and had an average of $22,477 in loans still to pay off.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,958 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,735 and $124,256 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major” ranking analyzed 191 colleges that offered a degree in physics. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in physics.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Physics Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree physics students.
Top 25 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 20 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Physics at Caltech
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 43 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Princeton University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Princeton, New Jersey, and it awarded 18 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Physics at Princeton University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 55 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Stanford University Physics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major list. Rice is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 15 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Physics at Rice University
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major ranking. New Mexico Tech is a small public school situated in Socorro, New Mexico. It awarded 16 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
University of Rochester came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major ranking. University of Rochester is a fairly large school located in Rochester, New York that handed out 24 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Physics at University of Rochester
Brandeis University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major list. Brandeis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waltham, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Physics at Brandeis
Yale University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major ranking. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New Haven, Connecticut. It awarded 21 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Yale University Physics Report
Harvard University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s physics degrees to 37 students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Physics at Harvard University
With a ranking of #11, University of Notre Dame did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major list. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full University of Notre Dame Physics Report
The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 16 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Physics at The Graduate Center, CUNY
With a ranking of #13, Hampton University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major list. Hampton, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s physics degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at Hampton
Worcester Polytechnic Institute landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major ranking. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Worcester, Massachusetts. It awarded 2 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at WPI
With a ranking of #15, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major list. Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Physics at Illinois Institute of Technology
Lehigh University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major ranking. Located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Physics at Lehigh University
University of Colorado Boulder came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major ranking. Located in Boulder, Colorado, this large public school handed out 36 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read full report on Physics at University of Colorado Boulder
University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major ranking, coming in at #18. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 32 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at University of Arizona
Duke University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major ranking. Duke University is a fairly large school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 21 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.
Full Duke Physics Report
Colorado School of Mines came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major ranking. Mines is a medium-sized school located in Golden, Colorado that handed out 6 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at Colorado School of Mines
Brown University ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major list. Brown University is a fairly large school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 18 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Physics at Brown University
Case Western Reserve University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major ranking. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s physics degrees to 4 students in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at Case Western Reserve University
With a ranking of #23, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 25 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UChicago Physics Report
Dartmouth College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major ranking. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Dartmouth College Physics Report
With a ranking of #25, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 34 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at UC Berkeley
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