Using science and data we decided to determine which programs offer the best career opportunities for physics Majors. Here are the set of the top colleges for physics Majors in US for 2021:
- University of Virginia
- University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
- College of William and Mary
- University of Notre Dame
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Cornell University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Rice University
- Stanford University
- University of Texas at Austin
25 best colleges for physics majors in the US
1. University of Virginia
Location
Charlottesville, VA
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Location
Ann Arbor, MI
3. College of William and Mary
Location
Williamsburg, VA
4. University of Notre Dame
Location
Notre Dame, IN
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Location
Cambridge, MA
6. Cornell University
Location
Ithaca, NY
7. Georgia Institute of Technology
Location
Atlanta, GA
8. Rice University
Location
Houston, TX
9. Stanford University
Location
Stanford, CA
10. University of Texas at Austin
Location
Austin, TX
11. Colgate University
Location
Hamilton, NY
12. Johns Hopkins University
Location
Baltimore, MD
13. Brown University
Location
Providence, RI
14. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
15. Yale University
Location
New Haven, CT
16. Duke University
Location
Durham, NC
17. University of California, Berkeley
Location
Berkeley, CA
18. University of Washington
Location
Seattle, WA
19. University of Maryland - College Park
Location
College Park, MD
20. Washington University in St Louis
Location
Saint Louis, MO
21. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Location
Champaign, IL
22. University of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
23. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Location
San Luis Obispo, CA
24. Hamilton College
Location
Clinton, NY
25. Princeton University
Location
Princeton, NJ
How we determined the best physics colleges
We looked at the following data from the NCES (National Center For Education Statistics) and College Scorecard data from ED.gov to understand what physics departments offer the best career opportunities:
- Percentage of Graduating Class That Are Business Majors
- Mean Earnings After 10 Years
- Mean Earnings After 6 Years
- Admission Rate (More selective the better)
- Average cost of attendance (Lower is better)
- Median amount of debt
- Ratio of people working to not working after 10 years
Most popular jobs for physics majors
Updated November 17, 2023