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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major

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Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major

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 “Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 994 people earned their degree in engineering and applied physics, making the major the 448th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major” ranking analyzed 129 colleges that offered a degree in engineering and applied physics. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in engineering and applied physics.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Engineering & Applied Physics Schools

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The applied physics school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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.

Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for applied physics students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics

1

Out of the 129 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at California Institute of Technology

2
Mines crest
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado

Out of the 129 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado School of Mines landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Golden, Colorado, this medium-sized public school handed out 59 degrees to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Mines Engineering & Applied Physics Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major list. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 121 students in 2020-2021.

Full Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management Engineering & Applied Physics Report

4

Out of the 129 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Delaware State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Del State is a medium-sized school located in Dover, Delaware that handed out 18 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Del State

5
Morehouse crest
Morehouse College
Atlanta, Georgia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Morehouse College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major list. Morehouse is a small school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 10 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Morehouse College

6
Westmont crest
Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California

Westmont College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major ranking. Westmont is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 7 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

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 Engineering & Applied Physics at Westmont

6
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Randolph - Macon College
Ashland, Virginia

Randolph - Macon College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major ranking. Randolph - Macon is located in Ashland, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, 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 87%.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Randolph - Macon College

8
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Juniata College
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

Juniata College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major ranking. Located in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 Engineering & Applied Physics at Juniata College

9

Linfield University - McMinnville Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major ranking, coming in at #9. McMinnville, Oregon is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full Linfield University - McMinnville Campus Engineering & Applied Physics Report

10
Hampden - Sydney crest
Hampden - Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney, Virginia

Hampden - Sydney College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major ranking, coming in at #10. Hampden - Sydney is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Hampden - Sydney College

11

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major ranking. Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach is a medium-sized school located in Daytona Beach, Florida that handed out 21 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach Engineering & Applied Physics Report

12
Murray State crest
Murray State University
Murray, Kentucky

Murray State University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major list. Murray State is a medium-sized public school situated in Murray, Kentucky. It awarded 29 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Murray State University

13
Oglethorpe crest
Oglethorpe University
Atlanta, Georgia

Oglethorpe University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major ranking. Oglethorpe University is a small school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 4 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Oglethorpe University

14
Kettering crest
Kettering University
Flint, Michigan

With a ranking of #14, Kettering University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major list. Kettering University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Flint, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Kettering

15

With a ranking of #15, University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major list. UW - Platteville is a medium-sized school located in Platteville, Wisconsin that handed out 22 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at UW - Platteville

16

Texas Lutheran University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major list. Located in Seguin, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at TLU

17
LCC crest
Lansing Community College
Lansing, Michigan

Lansing Community College landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 20 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Lansing Community College

18
Whittier crest
Whittier College
Whittier, California

Whittier College ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major list. Located in Whittier, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Engineering & Applied Physics at Whittier

19
Goshen crest
Goshen College
Goshen, Indiana

Goshen College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major ranking. Located in Goshen, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 degrees to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Goshen

20
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

With a ranking of #20, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major list. Cornell University is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 62 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, 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 96%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Cornell University Engineering & Applied Physics Report

21
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, California

Biola University ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major list. La Mirada, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Biola

22

Stephen F Austin State University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Nacogdoches, Texas, and it awarded 21 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Stephen F Austin State University

23
Southeast Missouri State University crest
Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Southeast Missouri State University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major ranking. Located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, this medium-sized public school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified ’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Southeast Missouri State University

24
Randolph crest
Randolph College
Lynchburg, Virginia

Randolph College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major ranking. Randolph is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Randolph

25
Carroll U crest
Carroll University
Waukesha, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #25, Carroll University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Applied Physics Major list. Carroll U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Carroll U

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