2023 Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics in Virginia
24
Ranked Colleges
268
Degrees Awarded
$44,253
Avg Salary
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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 Virginia, there were 353 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $44,253 and $23,971 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 268 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,553 and $27,844 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 24 colleges that offer a degree in physics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular physics programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia bachelor’s degree physics students.
Top 24 Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics in Virginia
Out of the 24 schools in the Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Tech landed the #1 spot on the list. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at Virginia Tech
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school awarded 40 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Virginia Physics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, this medium-sized public school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.
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 93%.
Full William & Mary Physics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. George Mason University is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 22 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, 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 86%.
Full George Mason University Physics Report
Out of the 24 schools in the Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #5 spot on the list. Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 20 students 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%.
Full VCU Physics Report
James Madison University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. James Madison University is a public institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read more about Physics at JMU
Old Dominion University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, this large public school handed out 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Physics at Old Dominion
Roanoke College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #8. Roanoke College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Salem, Virginia. It awarded 10 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at Roanoke
Emory and Henry College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #8. Emory, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 10 students 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.
Full Emory & Henry College Physics Report
Virginia Military Institute landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Lexington, Virginia, this small public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 VMI
University of Richmond did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. URichmond is located in University of Richmond, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Richmond Physics Report
Hampden - Sydney College landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. Hampden - Sydney College is located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
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 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%.
Full Hampden - Sydney College Physics Report
With a ranking of #13, Washington and Lee University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. Washington and Lee is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lexington, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Read more about Physics at Washington and Lee
Longwood University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Farmville, Virginia, this small public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.
Read full report on Physics at Longwood University
Bridgewater College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #14. Bridgewater, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at Bridgewater
Radford University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. Radford University is a public institution located in Radford, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Physics at Radford
University of Mary Washington ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. This small school is located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s physics degrees 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%.
Full UMW Physics Report
Randolph College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #18. Randolph is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Randolph Physics Report
Randolph - Macon College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Ashland, Virginia, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Physics at Randolph - Macon College
University of Lynchburg did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #19. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
Full University of Lynchburg Physics Report
Virginia Union University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #19. Virginia Union University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full VUU Physics Report
Hampton University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #22. Hampton University is located in Hampton, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Physics at Hampton
Sweet Briar College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Sweet Briar, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 0 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, 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 Sweet Briar College
With a ranking of #23, Norfolk State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Physics Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. Norfolk State is a medium-sized school located in Norfolk, Virginia that handed out 0 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Physics at Norfolk State
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Notes and References
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
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