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2024 Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

11 Colleges in Illinois
325 Bachelor's Degrees
$48,413 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in physics, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #62 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 11 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of physics. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 325 bachelor's degrees in physics during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Physics School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois The physics bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality physics program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for physics students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Physics Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Physics in Illinois

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in physics.

10 Top Illinois Schools for a Bachelor's in Physics

1

University of Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in physics. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Those physics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Chicago earn $4,165 more than the typical physics student.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Chicago

2
18 Annual Graduates

Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in physics. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Northwestern University

3
63 Annual Graduates
$47,882 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in physics. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the physics program make around $47,882 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

4
6 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in physics has to take a look at Illinois Institute of Technology. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Illinois Institute of Technology

5
8 Annual Graduates

UIC is a very large public university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Illinois at Chicago

6

Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the physics program report average early career wages of $38,331.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Illinois State University

7
21 Annual Graduates
$24,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Loyola University Chicago

8

Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Physics bachelor's degree recipients from Columbia College Chicago receive an earnings boost of approximately $6,448 over the average income of physics graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Columbia College Chicago

9
2 Annual Graduates

NIU is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Dekalb.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Northern Illinois University

10
5 Annual Graduates

WIU is a moderately-sized public university located in the remote town of Macomb.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Western Illinois University

Best Physics Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Physics Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 261 217
Ohio 252 254
Indiana 235 168
Wisconsin 213 188

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Physics is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.

Physics Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Physics 318
Acoustics 7

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 606
Geological & Earth Sciences 88
Astronomy & Astrophysics 47
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 29
Materials Sciences 2
Other Physical Science 1

Notes and References

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