by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Physics is the 68th most popular major in the country with 13,674 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $42,960 and had an average of $22,756 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 2,030 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,858 and $23,908 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 293 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,087 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region” ranking looked at 42 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physics. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in physics.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region doctor’s degree physics students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hampton University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region list. Hampton is located in Hampton, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s physics degrees to qualified students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina. It awarded 20 doctorate’s physics degrees 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. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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%.
Out of the 42 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College landed the #3 spot on the list. Baton Rouge, Louisiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physics degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wake Forest University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physics students 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 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 42 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #5 spot on the list. William & Mary is a medium-sized school located in Williamsburg, Virginia that handed out 6 doctorate’s physics 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #6, Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region list. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 17 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Knoxville, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physics degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Clemson University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region list. Clemson, South Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physics degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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.
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region ranking. University of Virginia - Main Campus is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 doctorate’s physics degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Virginia Tech ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region list. Virginia Tech is a large school located in Blacksburg, Virginia that handed out 14 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Florida State University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region list. Florida State is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 doctorate’s physics degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Alabama in Huntsville ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Huntsville, Alabama, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.
University of Louisville came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, this large public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
Vanderbilt University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #14. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 6 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Alabama A & M University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region list. AAMU is a medium-sized public school situated in Normal, Alabama. It awarded 1 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
West Virginia University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region ranking. WVU is a large public school situated in Morgantown, West Virginia. It awarded 8 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #17, North Carolina State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region list. NC State is a large school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 12 doctorate’s physics degrees 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 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%.
With a ranking of #18, Old Dominion University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, this large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2020-2021.
University of Central Florida came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region ranking. University of Central Florida is located in Orlando, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 doctorate’s physics degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Miami ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region list. U Miami is a fairly large school located in Coral Gables, Florida that handed out 5 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 ranking of #21, University of Mississippi did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region list. Ole Miss is a large school located in University, Mississippi that handed out 5 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Arkansas did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #22. Fayetteville, Arkansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physics degrees to 6 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Emory University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s physics degrees to 4 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. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
With a ranking of #24, Tulane University of Louisiana did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 4 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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.
Auburn University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Auburn University is a large public school situated in Auburn, Alabama. It awarded 6 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
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