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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois

32 Ranked Colleges
483 Degrees Awarded
$30,200 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois

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

In 2020-2021, 13,674 people earned their degree in physics, making the major the 68th most popular in the United States. 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 Illinois, there were 483 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,413 and $21,886 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois” ranking analyzed 32 colleges that offered a degree in physics. That schools that top this list have a program in physics in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.

Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois

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

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Physics in Illinois

1
Knox crest
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Knox College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois. Galesburg, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s physics degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.

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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Physics at Knox

2
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Monmouth College
Monmouth, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Monmouth College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois list. Monmouth, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s physics degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

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. 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 Monmouth Physics Report

3
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Greenville University
Greenville, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Greenville University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois. Greenville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s physics degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read full report on Physics at Greenville

4
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Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Wesleyan University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Bloomington, Illinois, and it awarded 6 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Physics at Illinois Wesleyan University

5
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Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wheaton College Illinois. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Wheaton College Illinois Physics Report

6
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University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 102 ’s physics degrees 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%. 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%.

Read more about Physics at UChicago

7
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Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s physics degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

Full Illinois College Physics Report

8
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Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Lake Forest College Physics Report

9
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Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Lewis University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois list. Located in Romeoville, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at Lewis University

10
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Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. Elmhurst University is located in Elmhurst, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Elmhurst University Physics Report

11

Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking. Illinois Institute of Technology is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois Institute of Technology Physics Report

12

With a ranking of #12, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 106 students in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Physics at UIUC

13
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking. CSU is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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.

Read full report on Physics at Chicago State University

14
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North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois list. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s physics degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Full North Central College Physics Report

15

Western Illinois University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Physics at WIU

16
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Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 47 ’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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Northwestern University Physics Report

17
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Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 7 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Physics at Columbia College Chicago

18
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Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois list. Millikin University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decatur, Illinois. It awarded 2 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Physics at Millikin

19
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Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 21 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 full report on Physics at Loyola University Chicago

20
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 22 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full Illinois State Physics Report

21
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

With a ranking of #21, Augustana College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois list. Augustana College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Physics at Augustana College

22
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #22. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 6 ’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Physics at Eastern Illinois University

23

With a ranking of #23, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s physics degrees to 26 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 more about Physics at UIC

24
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North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

North Park University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 degrees to qualified ’s physics students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read more about Physics at North Park

25

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Physics Major in Illinois ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s physics degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Physics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

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