by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2024, College Factual analyzed 214 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 schools 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 decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in physics. Stanford is a 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 has to look into University of Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Physics bachelor's degree recipients from University of Chicago earn a boost of around $13,318 over the typical income 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 needs to look into 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 California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in physics. Located in the large 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 approximately $3,605 above the average income of physics majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - Los Angeles
Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the physics program make an average of $38,630 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Cornell University
Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Physics bachelor's degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison earn a boost of about $6,656 above the average earnings of physics majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Wisconsin - Madison
UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley.
Physics bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley get an earnings boost of about $4,617 over the average income of physics graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - Berkeley
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 earn a boost of approximately $2,264 over the average income of physics majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - San Diego
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.
Those physics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Santa Barbara receive $10,603 more than the typical physics graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - Santa Barbara
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 make $3,468 more than the average physics grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
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 get an earnings boost of about $27,191 over the typical earnings of physics majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Arizona
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 degree program at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities get $16,067 more than the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Located in the suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the physics major at University of Massachusetts Amherst make $16,261 above the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Massachusetts Amherst
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 get $8,622 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
UMCP is a very large public university located in the large suburb of College Park.
Bachelor's recipients from the physics program at University of Maryland - College Park get $9,274 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Maryland - College Park
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
UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the physics program earn around $33,381 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of California - Irvine
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 get $5,761 more than the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Located in the large 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 income of $38,470.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill.
Those physics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn $3,755 more than the typical physics student.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Northeastern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Northeastern University
Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population.
Physics bachelor's degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin earn a boost of approximately $3,192 over the typical earnings of physics majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from The University of Texas at Austin
University of Virginia is a very large public university located in the suburb of Charlottesville.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Purdue is a very large public university located in the city of West Lafayette.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Purdue University - Main Campus
Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the physics program make about $33,529 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from New York University
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
| 34 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus | Atlanta, GA |
| 35 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 36 | Brigham Young University - Provo | Provo, UT |
| 37 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, NY |
| 38 | Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago, IL |
| 39 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 40 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO |
| 41 | Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 42 | William & Mary | Williamsburg, VA |
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 |
| Atomic/Molecular Physics | 1 |
| Nuclear 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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