by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Physics is the 68th most popular major in the country with 13,674 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $42,960 and had an average of $22,756 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 1,129 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $62,678 and $23,847 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region” ranking analyzed 93 colleges that offered a degree in physics. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in physics.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region”.
Out of the 93 schools in the Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #1 spot on the list. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 162 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Out of the 93 schools in the Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #2 spot on the list. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 111 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Out of the 93 schools in the Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #3 spot on the list. Texas A&M College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 64 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 93 schools in the Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school awarded 50 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Out of the 93 schools in the Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 49 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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.
Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #6. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
The University of Texas at Arlington ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas at Arlington is located in Arlington, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 44 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Read more about Physics at The University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Dallas came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Richardson, Texas, this large public school handed out 40 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 more about Physics at The University of Texas at Dallas
With a ranking of #9, The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region list. UTSA is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 36 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
University of Houston landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. UH is a large public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 34 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of North Texas landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. UNT is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Baylor University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Baylor University is located in Waco, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Texas A&M University - Commerce ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region list. Commerce, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.
The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #13. El Paso, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Physics at The University of Texas at El Paso
University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region list. Albuquerque, New Mexico is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #16. University of Oklahoma is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 24 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 Oklahoma Norman Campus
Texas State University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in San Marcos, Texas, this large public school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region list. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Physics Report
Northern Arizona University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. NAU is a public institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. NMSU Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It awarded 17 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region ranking. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is a small public school situated in Socorro, New Mexico. It awarded 16 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
University of Houston - Clear Lake did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #22. University of Houston - Clear Lake is a medium-sized public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 15 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at University of Houston - Clear Lake
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #23. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott is located in Prescott, Arizona and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #24, Arizona Western College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in Yuma, Arizona, this medium-sized public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #25, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in the Southwest Region list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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