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2024 Best Physics Schools in New York

19 Colleges in New York
1,121 Physics Degrees Awarded
$38,707 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in physics, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #68 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 19 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Physics Schools in New York ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,121 degrees in physics during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Physics School

Best Physics Schools in New York The physics program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Physics rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for physics schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Physics Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Physics
Master's Degrees in Physics
Doctor's Degrees in Physics

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 Schools in New York list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Physics in New York

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the physics degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top New York Schools in Physics

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
96 Physics Degrees Awarded
$38,630 Median Starting Salary

Cornell University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in physics. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.

There were roughly 96 physics students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the physics program state that they receive average early career earnings of $38,630.

More information about a degree in physics from Cornell University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Physics Degrees Awarded
30.5% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in physics needs to look into University of Rochester. University of Rochester is a large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Rochester. A Best Colleges rank of #104 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Rochester is a great university overall.

There were about 118 physics students who graduated with this degree at University of Rochester in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the physics degree program at University of Rochester make $51,070 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in physics from University of Rochester

3
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
130 Physics Degrees Awarded
$33,529 Median Starting Salary

New York University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in physics. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 130 physics students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, physics degree recipients generally make around $33,529 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in physics from New York University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In NY
40 Physics Degrees Awarded

Rochester Institute of Technology is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in physics. Located in the suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #285 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means RIT is a great school overall.

There were about 40 physics students who graduated with this degree at RIT in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physics from Rochester Institute of Technology

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Physics Degrees Awarded
4.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Troy, RPI is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #106 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means RPI is a great school overall.

There were about 64 physics students who graduated with this degree at RPI in the most recent data year. Those physics students who get their degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute make $3,741 more than the average physics graduate.

More information about a degree in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

6
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In NY
31 Physics Degrees Awarded

Located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #132 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Syracuse is a great university overall.

There were approximately 31 physics students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physics from Syracuse University

7
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 Physics Degrees Awarded
1.9% Growth in Graduates

SUNY Stony Brook is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Stony Brook. A Best Colleges rank of #253 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SUNY Stony Brook is a great university overall.

There were approximately 108 physics students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Stony Brook in the most recent data year. After graduating, physics degree recipients usually make around $25,311 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in physics from Stony Brook University

8
Skidmore crest
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
22nd Most Popular In NY

Located in the suburb of Saratoga Springs, Skidmore is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #281 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Skidmore is a great college overall.

There were roughly 11 physics students who graduated with this degree at Skidmore in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physics from Skidmore College

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Physics Degrees Awarded
$34,444 Median Starting Salary

University at Buffalo is a very large public university located in the suburb of Buffalo. A Best Colleges rank of #313 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University at Buffalo is a great university overall.

There were roughly 33 physics students who graduated with this degree at University at Buffalo in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the physics program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,444.

More information about a degree in physics from University at Buffalo

10
Union College crest
Union College New York
Schenectady, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
22nd Most Popular In NY
45.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Schenectady, Union College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 43rd out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 11 physics students who graduated with this degree at Union College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physics from Union College New York

Best Physics Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Physics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 334 635
Maryland 279 286
New Jersey 273 272
District of Columbia 188 79
Delaware 175 37

View All Rankings >

One of 8 majors within the Physical Sciences area of study, Physics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Physics Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Physics 969
Acoustics 70
Optics/Optical Sciences 51
Other Physics 24
Theoretical & Mathematical Physics 7

View All Physics Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 1,442
General Physical Sciences 984
Geological & Earth Sciences 573
Other Physical Science 214
Materials Sciences 96
Astronomy & Astrophysics 81
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 61

View All Physics Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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