by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2023, College Factual analyzed 226 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,290 bachelor's degrees in physics during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The physics bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality physics program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for physics students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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 best 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.
Stanford University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in physics. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Stanford University
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in physics needs to take a look at University of Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Physics bachelor's degree recipients from University of Chicago receive an earnings boost of approximately $13,318 above the typical earnings of physics graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Chicago
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in physics has to take a look at Northwestern University. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Northwestern University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a good decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in physics. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.
Those physics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn $3,468 more than the typical physics graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the physics program earn an average of $38,630 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Cornell University
Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Johns Hopkins University
Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.
Physics bachelor's degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison receive an earnings boost of around $6,656 over the average income of physics majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Wisconsin - Madison
UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.
Physics bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley receive an earnings boost of approximately $4,617 over the typical income of physics graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - Berkeley
Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the physics program at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities get $16,067 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Physics bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles earn a boost of around $3,605 over the average income of physics graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the large city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very large student population.
Physics bachelor's degree recipients from University of Arizona earn a boost of around $27,191 above the average earnings of physics majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Arizona
Located in the medium-sized city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Rochester
UMCP is a very large public university located in the suburb of College Park.
Bachelor's recipients from the physics program at University of Maryland - College Park get $9,274 above the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Maryland - College Park
Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those physics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Santa Barbara earn $10,603 more than the average physics graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - Santa Barbara
Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Notre Dame
UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla.
Physics bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - San Diego get an earnings boost of around $2,264 over the average earnings of physics graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - San Diego
Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the physics program at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earn $8,622 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
RPI is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Troy.
Physics bachelor's degree recipients from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute get an earnings boost of approximately $3,188 over the typical income of physics majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the physics program report average early career earnings of $38,470.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus.
Bachelor's recipients from the physics program at Ohio State University - Main Campus make $5,761 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Ohio State University - Main Campus
UD is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Newark.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Delaware
UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the physics program make an average of $33,381 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - Irvine
Located in the fringe town of Williamstown, Williams is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Williams College
Northeastern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Northeastern University
University of Virginia is a very large public university located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Virginia - Main Campus
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 35 | Boston University | Boston, MA |
| 36 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO |
| 37 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 38 | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, CA |
| 39 | Emory University | Atlanta, GA |
| 40 | Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 41 | Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago, IL |
| 42 | Brigham Young University - Provo | Provo, UT |
| 43 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 44 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
| 45 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ |
View the Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Physics is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Physics | 7,941 |
| Other Physics | 248 |
| Optics/Optical Sciences | 41 |
| Acoustics | 37 |
| Theoretical & Mathematical Physics | 19 |
| Condensed Matter & Materials Physics | 2 |
| Nuclear Physics | 1 |
| Atomic/Molecular Physics | 1 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 14,951 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 5,119 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 979 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 755 |
| General Physical Sciences | 320 |
| Other Physical Science | 274 |
| Materials Sciences | 203 |
| Physics and Astronomy | 15 |
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