Physics Degree
75 schools compared · Average earnings $46,482/yr
Schools Offering
75
Avg Grad Earnings
$46,482/yr
Avg DegreeWorth Score
46/100
AI Automation Risk
Very High
56% task exposure
Best Schools for Physics
Top 75 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | AI Risk | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC |
75 69–77 |
$70,150/yr | Very High | 23.3x |
| 2 | Brigham Young University Provo, UT |
75 69–78 |
$68,664/yr | Very High | 36.5x |
| 3 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA |
73 68–75 |
$64,045/yr | Very High | 24.0x |
| 4 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC |
71 66–73 |
$62,647/yr | Very High | 16.4x |
| 5 | Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA |
71 66–73 |
$62,478/yr | Very High | 16.4x |
| 6 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls River Falls, WI |
71 66–73 |
$62,196/yr | Very High | 17.1x |
| 7 | California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA |
71 66–72 |
$57,114/yr | Very High | 17.6x |
| 8 | California State University-San Marcos San Marcos, CA |
71 65–74 |
$56,018/yr | Very High | 25.0x |
| 9 | University of Central Florida Orlando, FL |
71 66–73 |
$55,826/yr | Very High | 20.9x |
| 10 | Portland State University Portland, OR |
70 64–73 |
$62,749/yr | Very High | 17.7x |
| 11 | Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Magnolia, AR |
69 64–70 |
$58,870/yr | Very High | 14.0x |
| 12 | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse La Crosse, WI |
69 63–73 |
$54,428/yr | Very High | 20.9x |
| 13 | Salisbury University Salisbury, MD |
68 62–72 |
$54,548/yr | Very High | 19.3x |
| 14 | University of South Florida Tampa, FL |
68 62–71 |
$46,094/yr | Very High | 29.4x |
| 15 | CUNY City College New York, NY |
67 62–69 |
$48,908/yr | Very High | 15.7x |
| 16 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA |
66 61–69 |
$60,495/yr | Very High | 13.6x |
| 17 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX |
66 62–66 |
$57,435/yr | Very High | 11.1x |
| 18 | University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA |
65 56–71 |
$53,597/yr | Very High | 16.4x |
| 19 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH |
65 59–69 |
$53,504/yr | Very High | 14.6x |
| 20 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA |
65 58–69 |
$42,057/yr | Very High | 27.3x |
| 21 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA |
63 58–66 |
$58,061/yr | Very High | 11.7x |
| 22 | Boise State University Boise, ID |
63 59–64 |
$45,813/yr | Very High | 12.0x |
| 23 | Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY |
63 55–69 |
$44,562/yr | Very High | 19.3x |
| 24 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX |
62 58–63 |
$53,329/yr | Very High | 9.2x |
| 25 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE |
62 58–63 |
$47,670/yr | Very High | 10.8x |
| 26 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX |
62 51–69 |
$41,737/yr | Very High | 21.2x |
| 27 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO |
61 57–62 |
$51,927/yr | Very High | 9.1x |
| 28 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC |
61 57–62 |
$43,740/yr | Very High | 11.3x |
| 29 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN |
60 55–61 |
$54,350/yr | Very High | 9.1x |
| 30 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA |
60 53–66 |
$48,951/yr | Very High | 12.8x |
| 31 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD |
60 49–67 |
$39,825/yr | Very High | 21.0x |
| 32 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI |
59 54–63 |
$53,019/yr | Very High | 10.0x |
| 33 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL |
59 54–62 |
$51,019/yr | Very High | 10.3x |
| 34 | Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR |
59 55–60 |
$48,169/yr | Very High | 8.6x |
| 35 | University of Delaware Newark, DE |
58 55–60 |
$52,741/yr | Very High | 7.2x |
| 36 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA |
58 54–59 |
$50,219/yr | Very High | 7.5x |
| 37 | Oregon State University Corvallis, OR |
58 54–59 |
$48,169/yr | Very High | 7.9x |
| 38 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA |
58 50–65 |
$41,474/yr | Very High | 15.4x |
| 39 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell, WA |
58 50–65 |
$41,474/yr | Very High | 15.5x |
| 40 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX |
57 46–65 |
$36,832/yr | Very High | 18.7x |
| 41 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA |
56 51–57 |
$48,324/yr | Very High | 6.3x |
| 42 | University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT |
55 51–56 |
$38,748/yr | Very High | 9.4x |
| 43 | Whitworth University Spokane, WA |
54 49–56 |
$65,316/yr | Very High | 2.2x |
| 44 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI |
54 46–61 |
$36,878/yr | Very High | 14.6x |
| 45 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA |
53 48–55 |
$68,215/yr | Very High | 1.6x |
| 46 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY |
53 46–58 |
$60,348/yr | Very High | 3.5x |
| 47 | Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA |
53 48–55 |
$46,641/yr | Very High | 4.7x |
| 48 | University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA |
53 49–55 |
$43,144/yr | Very High | 6.6x |
| 49 | University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO |
53 47–58 |
$41,874/yr | Very High | 9.6x |
| 50 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX |
53 49–53 |
$36,328/yr | Very High | 9.1x |
| 51 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX |
53 43–61 |
$34,611/yr | Very High | 16.0x |
| 52 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA |
52 45–58 |
$54,773/yr | Very High | 4.2x |
| 53 | Rowan University Glassboro, NJ |
51 42–60 |
$36,435/yr | Very High | 12.5x |
| 54 | Georgia State University Atlanta, GA |
51 43–57 |
$31,001/yr | Very High | 15.9x |
| 55 | Montclair State University Montclair, NJ |
50 46–52 |
$39,740/yr | Very High | 5.7x |
| 56 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA |
49 45–51 |
$39,804/yr | Very High | 5.0x |
| 57 | Rutgers University-Camden Camden, NJ |
49 40–59 |
$35,689/yr | Very High | 11.9x |
| 58 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ |
49 40–59 |
$35,689/yr | Very High | 11.8x |
| 59 | Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ |
49 41–60 |
$35,689/yr | Very High | 12.3x |
| 60 | University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA |
48 44–50 |
$37,859/yr | Very High | 5.5x |
| 61 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ |
48 38–57 |
$30,503/yr | Very High | 14.3x |
| 62 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY |
47 43–50 |
$50,933/yr | Very High | 0.9x |
| 63 | Northeastern University Boston, MA |
47 42–49 |
$49,399/yr | Very High | 1.0x |
| 64 | Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY |
47 42–49 |
$48,374/yr | Very High | 1.1x |
| 65 | University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO |
47 42–48 |
$34,373/yr | Very High | 6.2x |
| 66 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI |
47 39–55 |
$33,400/yr | Very High | 10.7x |
| 67 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN |
44 40–46 |
$30,203/yr | Very High | 6.6x |
| 68 | University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT |
42 37–44 |
$32,341/yr | Very High | 3.6x |
| 69 | University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT |
42 37–44 |
$32,341/yr | Very High | 3.6x |
| 70 | University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT |
42 37–44 |
$32,341/yr | Very High | 3.6x |
| 71 | University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT |
42 37–44 |
$32,341/yr | Very High | 3.6x |
| 72 | University of Connecticut Storrs, CT |
41 36–43 |
$32,341/yr | Very High | 3.0x |
| 73 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ |
41 35–44 |
$30,503/yr | Very High | — |
| 74 | University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA |
34 30–36 |
$19,977/yr | Very High | 2.5x |
| 75 | New York University New York, NY |
30 25–33 |
$24,802/yr | Very High | 0.0x |
Highest Earning Physics Programs
Schools where Physics graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.
| School | 1-Year Earnings | DW Score | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | $70,150/yr | 75 | Very High |
| Brigham Young University | $68,664/yr | 75 | Very High |
| University of Pennsylvania | $68,215/yr | 53 | Very High |
| Whitworth University | $65,316/yr | 54 | Very High |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | $64,045/yr | 73 | Very High |
| Portland State University | $62,749/yr | 70 | Very High |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $62,647/yr | 71 | Very High |
| Georgia College & State University | $62,478/yr | 71 | Very High |
| University of Wisconsin-River Falls | $62,196/yr | 71 | Very High |
| University of California-Los Angeles | $60,495/yr | 66 | Very High |
Best ROI for Physics
Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Physics.
| School | ROI Multiple | Earnings | DW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brigham Young University | 36.5x | $68,664/yr | 75 |
| University of South Florida | 29.4x | $46,094/yr | 68 |
| California State University-Long Beach | 27.3x | $42,057/yr | 65 |
| California State University-San Marcos | 25.0x | $56,018/yr | 71 |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 24.0x | $64,045/yr | 73 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 23.3x | $70,150/yr | 75 |
| Texas State University | 21.2x | $41,737/yr | 62 |
| University of Maryland-College Park | 21.0x | $39,825/yr | 60 |
| University of Central Florida | 20.9x | $55,826/yr | 71 |
| University of Wisconsin-La Crosse | 20.9x | $54,428/yr | 69 |
Related Majors
Explore similar fields of study.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Physics graduates earn?
Across 75 schools, Physics graduates earn an average of $46,482 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $19,977 to $70,150 depending on the school.
What is the AI automation risk for Physics?
Physics is rated "Very High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 56% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means most career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.
Which school has the best Physics program?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), University of North Carolina at Charlotte ranks #1 for Physics with a score of 75/100 and graduate earnings of $70,150/yr.
Is a Physics degree worth it?
On average, Physics graduates earn 11.8x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.
About This Data
This page aggregates Physics programs across 75 schools using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034), and AI automation risk research from OpenAI and academic institutions.
The DegreeWorth Score (0–100) combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and return on investment. Each school's program page includes three AI scenarios (optimistic, base case, pessimistic) showing how automation could affect 10-year earnings.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Last updated 2025.