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2022 Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Physics

781 Colleges in the United States
8,542 Bachelor's Degrees
$39,724 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in physics, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #58 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2022, College Factual analyzed 781 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Physics ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,542 bachelor's degrees in physics during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Other Rankings

Choosing a Great Physics School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Physics Your choice of school for getting your bachelor's degree in physics matters. We created our Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Physics ranking to make it a little easier to choose the right one for you.

A high popularity ranking isn't always a sign that a school has a great overall quality ranking for physics, but it does mean that many students are choosing the school for some reason. Sometimes this is because the school offers a great educational experience, it is a good value, or it is highly focused on the program.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Associate Degrees in Physics
Master's Degrees in Physics
Doctor's Degrees in Physics
Overall Popularity in Physics

We have also developed a number of other rankings to help guide you in your decision-making process. To begin with, if this is not the degree level you are most interested in, you may want to check out one of the others noted above. If you would prefer to limit your search to a specific state or region of the county, see our rankings by location. On top of that, you can visit our other rankings for physics.

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.

Below you'll see a list of the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in physics. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Most Well Attended Schools for Physics Students Working on Their Bachelor's

1
207 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In WA
#1 Best Quality In WA

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in physics needs to take a look at University of Washington - Seattle Campus. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Washington.

There were roughly 207 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available.

Those physics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Washington - Seattle Campus make $3,376 more than the average physics student.

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

2
161 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In CA
#4 Best Quality In CA

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in physics has to look into University of California - Santa Barbara. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #4 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in California.

There were roughly 161 physics students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available.

Soon after graduating, physics bachelor's recipients typically make around $37,100 in the first five years of their career.

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

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135 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In CA
#3 Best Quality In CA

University of California - Berkeley is one of the most popular schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in physics. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #3 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in California.

There were roughly 135 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.

Bachelor's recipients from the physics major at University of California - Berkeley earn $6,076 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

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87 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In TX
#1 Best Quality In TX

The University of Texas at Austin is a popular choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in physics. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Texas.

There were roughly 87 physics students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available.

Soon after graduating, physics bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $39,300 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from The University of Texas at Austin

5
83 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MA
#1 Best Quality In MA

Located in the city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Massachusetts.

There were roughly 83 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at MIT in the most recent data year.

Physics bachelor's degree recipients from Massachusetts Institute of Technology earn a boost of about $34,176 over the average income of physics majors.

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

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78 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In CA
#7 Best Quality In CA

UCSD is a very large public university located in the city of La Jolla. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #7 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in California.

There were about 78 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the physics program report average early career income of $21,400.

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

7
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
75 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In VA
#2 Best Quality In VA

Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Virginia.

There were about 75 physics students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available.

Soon after graduation, physics bachelor's recipients usually make an average of $35,100 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Virginia Tech

7
75 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MD
#2 Best Quality In MD

UMCP is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of College Park. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Maryland.

There were about 75 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent data year.

Soon after graduation, physics bachelor's recipients generally make an average of $32,000 in the first five years of their career.

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

9
74 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In AZ
#1 Best Quality In AZ

Located in the large city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Arizona.

There were about 74 physics students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent year we have data available.

Bachelor's recipients from the physics major at University of Arizona earn $23,376 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Arizona

10
72 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In CO
#1 Best Quality In CO

CU - Boulder is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Boulder. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Colorado.

There were about 72 physics students who graduated with this degree at CU - Boulder in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Colorado Boulder

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68 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IL
#3 Best Quality In IL

Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #3 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Illinois.

There were roughly 68 physics students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the physics program earn about $37,900 for their early career.

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

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NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
67 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In NY
#5 Best Quality In NY

Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #5 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in New York.

There were roughly 67 physics students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from New York University

13
65 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In OH
#2 Best Quality In OH

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Ohio.

There were roughly 65 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year.

Physics bachelor's degree recipients from Ohio State University - Main Campus get an earnings boost of about $12,076 over the average income of physics majors.

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

14
64 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#4 Most Popular In CA
#5 Best Quality In CA

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #5 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in California.

There were about 64 physics students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the physics program state that they receive average early career income of $33,000.

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

15
63 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In IL
#1 Best Quality In IL

Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Illinois.

There were approximately 63 physics students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the physics program make about $38,300 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Chicago

16
61 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In WI
#1 Best Quality In WI

Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Wisconsin.

There were roughly 61 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the physics program earn around $34,900 in the first couple years of working.

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

17
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
60 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In PA
#2 Best Quality In PA

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Pennsylvania.

There were about 60 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Pennsylvania

18
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY
58 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In NY
#11 Best Quality In NY

Located in the large suburb of Stony Brook, SUNY Stony Brook is a public university with a fairly large student population.

There were roughly 58 physics students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Stony Brook in the most recent year we have data available.

Physics bachelor's degree recipients from Stony Brook University receive an earnings boost of about $2,476 over the average earnings of physics graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Stony Brook University

19
57 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In AZ
#2 Best Quality In AZ

ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tempe. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Arizona.

There were about 57 physics students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent year we have data available.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the physics program earn about $38,400 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Arizona State University - Tempe

20
55 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#5 Most Popular In CA
#9 Best Quality In CA

UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the large city of Irvine. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #9 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in California.

There were approximately 55 physics students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year.

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

21
53 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#6 Most Popular In CA
#13 Best Quality In CA

CSULB is a fairly large public university located in the city of Long Beach.

There were approximately 53 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the physics program make an average of $33,900 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from California State University - Long Beach

22
52 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In GA
#1 Best Quality In GA

Located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Georgia.

There were approximately 52 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at Georgia Tech in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

22
52 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In NY
#2 Best Quality In NY

Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in New York.

There were about 52 physics students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent data year.

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

24
51 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In MA
#9 Best Quality In MA

Located in the suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #9 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Massachusetts.

There were roughly 51 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent year we have data available.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the physics program make around $32,100 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Massachusetts Amherst

24
51 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MI
#1 Best Quality In MI

U-M is a very large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in physics in Michigan.

There were roughly 51 physics students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year.

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

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Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
28
31
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
32

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34
34
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
37
38
38
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
40
40

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40
44
45
46
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
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47
Rowan crest
Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ

Remaining Award Winners

This section shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Physics badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 781 different United States physics schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 SUNY Geneseo Geneseo, NY
52 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
52 University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL
52 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
55 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
55 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN
55 United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD
58 Wesleyan University Middletown, CT
58 University of Houston Houston, TX
58 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
61 Illinois State University Normal, IL
61 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
61 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
61 Northeastern University Boston, MA
61 Delaware State University Dover, DE
66 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY
66 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
66 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
66 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
66 Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ
71 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
71 Portland State University Portland, OR
71 Brown University Providence, RI
71 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
71 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
71 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
77 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
78 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
78 Boston University Boston, MA
80 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
80 Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Magnolia, AR
80 The City College of New York New York, NY
80 University of Maryland - Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
80 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
80 Towson University Towson, MD
86 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
86 Yale University New Haven, CT
86 Colgate University Hamilton, NY
86 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
86 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
91 Rockhurst University Kansas City, MO
91 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
93 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
93 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
93 Whitworth University Spokane, WA
93 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
93 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS
98 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
98 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
98 Salisbury University Salisbury, MD
98 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
98 Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID
98 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
98 Emory University Atlanta, GA
98 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
98 Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO
107 Macalester College Saint Paul, MN
107 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
107 Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA
107 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
107 University of Washington - Bothell Campus Bothell, WA
107 Kenyon College Gambier, OH
107 Haverford College Haverford, PA
114 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO
114 Reed College Portland, OR
114 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
114 Stanford University Stanford, CA
114 New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro, NM
114 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
114 Siena College Loudonville, NY
114 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
114 College of Charleston Charleston, SC
114 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO
114 Bethel University Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
114 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Physics students that almost earned our Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Physics award.

Rank College Location
126 United States Military Academy West Point, NY
126 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
126 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
126 Iowa State University Ames, IA
126 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
126 Davidson College Davidson, NC
126 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
126 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
134 United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, CO
134 Angelo State University San Angelo, TX
134 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
134 Colby College Waterville, ME
134 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
134 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
134 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
134 Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO
134 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
134 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
134 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
134 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
134 Utah State University Logan, UT
147 Willamette University Salem, OR
147 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
147 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA
147 Georgetown University Washington, DC
147 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
147 University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA
147 University of North Texas Denton, TX
147 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
147 Allegheny College Meadville, PA
147 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA
147 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
147 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
147 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
147 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
147 Pomona College Claremont, CA
147 Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT
147 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO

Physics by Region

View the Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Physics for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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

Physics Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Physics 8,178
Other Physics 263
Acoustics 43
Optics/Optical Sciences 39
Theoretical & Mathematical Physics 18
Condensed Matter & Materials Physics 1

Majors Similar to Physics

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 15,411
Geological & Earth Sciences 6,087
Astronomy & Astrophysics 874
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 739
Other Physical Science 311
General Physical Sciences 261
Materials Sciences 219
Physics and Astronomy 13

Notes and References

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