A degree in physics is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #68 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 159 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for physics students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 13,447 degrees in physics to qualified students.
Your choice of physics school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Physics School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
The 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 the Best Physics Schools.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
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.
The schools below may not offer all types of physics degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Any student pursuing a degree in physics needs to look into Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means MIT is a great school overall.
There were approximately 112 physics students who graduated with this degree at MIT in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the physics program state that they receive average early career income of $54,773.
Johns Hopkins University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in physics. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Johns Hopkins is a great university overall.
There were about 78 physics students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent year we have data available.
Any student who is interested in physics needs to look into University of Notre Dame. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.
There were about 71 physics students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in physics. U-M is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.
There were roughly 120 physics students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Those physics students who get their degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor make $2,042 more than the average physics grad.
RPI is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Troy. This school ranks 6th out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were roughly 60 physics students who graduated with this degree at RPI in the most recent data year. Physics degree recipients from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute receive an earnings boost of about $7,392 over the average income of physics majors.
Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.
There were approximately 51 physics students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.
Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.
There were roughly 109 physics students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, physics degree recipients usually make around $50,933 in the first five years of their career.
Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 26 colleges for overall quality in the state of Arizona.
There were roughly 159 physics students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent year we have data available. Those physics students who get their degree from University of Arizona receive $54,540 more than the average physics grad.
Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
There were about 80 physics students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year.
Located in the medium-sized city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 8th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were roughly 110 physics students who graduated with this degree at University of Rochester in the most recent year we have data available.
UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were approximately 152 physics students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Physics degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley earn a boost of about $10,805 over the average earnings of physics majors.
UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. This university ranks 8th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 71 physics students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, physics degree recipients typically make about $48,951 in their early careers.
UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine. This university ranks 12th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 121 physics students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the physics program report average early career income of $43,144.
Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 194 physics students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, physics degree recipients usually make around $53,597 in the first five years of their career.
Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #35 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.
There were about 71 physics students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent data year.
Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were about 98 physics students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year. After graduation, physics degree recipients typically make around $36,878 in the first five years of their career.
Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were about 65 physics students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the physics program state that they receive average early career wages of $54,350.
UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.
There were approximately 59 physics students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Physics degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill receive an earnings boost of about $9,691 above the average earnings of physics majors.
Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus. This university ranks 1st out of 91 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were roughly 133 physics students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the physics program at Ohio State University - Main Campus get $30,444 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 97 physics students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available.
Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were roughly 119 physics students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Physics degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles receive an earnings boost of around $9,789 above the average earnings of physics graduates.
Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 50 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.
There were roughly 209 physics students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the physics program earn an average of $41,474 in the first couple years of working.
Located in the city of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were about 70 physics students who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent data year.
Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 93 physics students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, physics degree recipients typically make an average of $52,329 at the beginning of their careers.
Boston U is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Boston U is a great university overall.
There were approximately 42 physics students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent data year.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Credit for the banner image above goes to A. T. Service.
Your choice of physics school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Physics School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
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