2023 Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics
778
Ranked Colleges
8,290
Degrees Awarded
$39,260
Avg Salary
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,290 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 778 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physics. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in physics.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 “Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s”.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s”.
Top 25 Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics
Out of the 778 schools in the Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 195 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Out of the 778 schools in the Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 151 bachelors’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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Physics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 129 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 more about Physics at UC Berkeley
Out of the 778 schools in the Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Colorado Boulder landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Boulder, Colorado, this large public school awarded 94 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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 University of Colorado Boulder
Out of the 778 schools in the Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #4 spot on the list. UT Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 94 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Full The University of Texas at Austin Physics Report
University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 93 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics 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 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%.
Read more about Physics at University of California - Irvine
University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. UMCP is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 81 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
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 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 Physics at UMCP
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 79 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at University of California - Los Angeles
With a ranking of #9, Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 76 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, 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 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full MIT Physics Report
With a ranking of #10, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 75 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.
Read full report on Physics at University of California - Santa Cruz
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 66 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Physics at Ohio State
With a ranking of #12, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 65 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Physics at UChicago
University of Arizona landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s degrees 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.
Read full report on Physics at University of Arizona
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 65 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Physics at UMN Twin Cities
Stony Brook University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s list. Stony Brook University is a large school located in Stony Brook, New York that handed out 64 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 SUNY Stony Brook
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 63 students 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Physics Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 63 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students 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%. 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
With a ranking of #18, University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s list. Amherst, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 61 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Physics at UMass Amherst
New York University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 56 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 NYU
University of California - Davis came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 56 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Physics at University of California - Davis
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #19. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of California - San Diego came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 56 bachelors’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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at University of California - San Diego
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. RPI is a medium-sized school located in Troy, New York that handed out 54 bachelors’s 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Physics Report
Cornell University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s physics degrees 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. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Physics at Cornell
Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #25. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 52 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Physics at Purdue
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