2023 Most Popular Colleges for Physical Sciences
1,524
Ranked Colleges
50,306
Degrees Awarded
$36,300
Avg Cost*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Physical Sciences Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 50,306 people earned their degree in physical sciences, making the major the 19th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,880 and had an average of $22,620 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major” ranking analyzed 1,524 colleges that offered a degree in physical sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular physical sciences programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Physical Sciences Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for physical sciences students.
Top 27 Most Popular Colleges for Physical Sciences
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 612 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at UW Seattle
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 598 degrees to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at UCSD
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 560 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, 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.
Full UC Berkeley Physical Sciences Report
Out of the 1,524 schools in the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 400 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Physical Sciences Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 401 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 Physical Sciences at UW - Madison
With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 375 students in 2020-2021.
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 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UIUC Physical Sciences Report
University of Colorado Boulder landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major ranking. Boulder, Colorado is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 375 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at CU - Boulder
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 371 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at UCLA
With a ranking of #9, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 367 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Irvine Physical Sciences Report
University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #10. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 374 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Arizona Physical Sciences Report
Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #11. Texas A&M University - College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 376 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at Texas A&M College Station
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major ranking. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 351 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at UT Austin
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major ranking. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physical sciences degrees to 347 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
With a ranking of #14, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 343 degrees to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Physical Sciences at UMN Twin Cities
University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 343 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UC Santa Cruz Physical Sciences Report
University of Chicago came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major ranking. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 317 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 100%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at UChicago
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major ranking. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 314 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Physical Sciences Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major ranking. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 310 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Ohio State University - Main Campus
University of Florida landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major ranking. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 295 ’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Florida
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major list. Purdue is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 274 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Physical Sciences at Purdue
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #21. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 270 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Physical Sciences at UC Davis
University of Maryland - College Park came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major ranking. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school handed out 267 diplomas to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Maryland - College Park Physical Sciences Report
Cornell University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major ranking. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 258 diplomas to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 Physical Sciences at Cornell
Stony Brook University ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major list. SUNY Stony Brook is a public institution located in Stony Brook, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 261 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Full SUNY Stony Brook Physical Sciences Report
With a ranking of #25, Mississippi State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major list. This large school is located in Mississippi State, Mississippi, and it awarded 243 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Mississippi State
With a ranking of #25, Stanford University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 243 degrees to qualified ’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Stanford
With a ranking of #25, LaGuardia Community College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major list. LaGuardia is a fairly large school located in Long Island City, New York that handed out 243 ’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at LaGuardia Community College
Rest of the Best 48 in Most Well Attended Physical Sciences Major
Not only did these schools make the top 48 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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