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Best Schools for Physics in 2026

75 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Physics, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Physics graduate earns $46,482/yr across 75 schools.

Programs Ranked

Avg Earnings

$46,482/yr

Avg DW Score

57/100

AI Risk

Very High

56% task exposure

All Physics Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

#	Program	DW Score	Earnings	AI Risk	ROI
1	Physics Brigham Young University · Provo, UT	75 69–78	$68,664/yr	Very High	36.5x
2	Physics University of North Carolina at Charlotte · Charlotte, NC	75 69–77	$70,150/yr	Very High	23.3x
3	Physics California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA	73 68–75	$64,045/yr	Very High	24.0x
4	Physics California State University-San Marcos · San Marcos, CA	71 65–74	$56,018/yr	Very High	25.0x
5	Physics University of Central Florida · Orlando, FL	71 66–73	$55,826/yr	Very High	20.9x
6	Physics Portland State University · Portland, OR	70 64–73	$62,749/yr	Very High	17.7x
7	Physics Georgia College & State University · Milledgeville, GA	71 66–72	$62,478/yr	Very High	16.4x
8	Physics Salisbury University · Salisbury, MD	68 62–72	$54,548/yr	Very High	19.3x
9	Physics University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill, NC	71 66–73	$62,647/yr	Very High	16.4x
10	Physics University of Wisconsin-La Crosse · La Crosse, WI	69 63–73	$54,428/yr	Very High	20.9x
11	Physics University of Wisconsin-River Falls · River Falls, WI	71 66–73	$62,196/yr	Very High	17.1x
12	Physics California State University-San Bernardino · San Bernardino, CA	71 66–72	$57,114/yr	Very High	17.6x
13	Physics University of South Florida · Tampa, FL	68 62–71	$46,094/yr	Very High	29.4x
14	Physics University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA	65 56–71	$53,597/yr	Very High	16.4x
15	Physics Southern Arkansas University Main Campus · Magnolia, AR	69 64–70	$58,870/yr	Very High	14.0x
16	Physics University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA	66 61–69	$60,495/yr	Very High	13.6x
17	Physics California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA	65 58–69	$42,057/yr	Very High	27.3x
18	Physics CUNY City College · New York, NY	67 62–68	$48,908/yr	Very High	15.7x
19	Physics Stony Brook University · Stony Brook, NY	63 55–69	$44,562/yr	Very High	19.3x
20	Physics Ohio State University-Main Campus · Columbus, OH	65 59–69	$53,504/yr	Very High	14.6x
21	Physics Texas State University · San Marcos, TX	62 51–69	$41,737/yr	Very High	21.2x
22	Physics University of Maryland-College Park · College Park, MD	60 49–67	$39,825/yr	Very High	21.0x
23	Physics Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · Blacksburg, VA	63 58–66	$58,061/yr	Very High	11.7x
24	Physics University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA	60 53–66	$48,951/yr	Very High	12.8x
25	Physics Texas Tech University · Lubbock, TX	66 62–66	$57,435/yr	Very High	11.1x
26	Physics University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA	58 50–65	$41,474/yr	Very High	15.4x
27	Physics University of Washington-Bothell Campus · Bothell, WA	58 50–65	$41,474/yr	Very High	15.5x
28	Physics Boise State University · Boise, ID	63 59–64	$45,813/yr	Very High	12.0x
29	Physics University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI	59 54–63	$53,019/yr	Very High	10.0x
30	Physics The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX	57 46–65	$36,832/yr	Very High	18.7x
31	Physics University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL	59 54–62	$51,019/yr	Very High	10.3x
32	Physics University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · Minneapolis, MN	60 55–61	$54,350/yr	Very High	9.1x
33	Physics University of Nebraska-Lincoln · Lincoln, NE	62 58–63	$47,670/yr	Very High	10.8x
34	Physics Texas A & M University-College Station · College Station, TX	62 58–62	$53,329/yr	Very High	9.2x
35	Physics Colorado State University-Fort Collins · Fort Collins, CO	61 57–62	$51,927/yr	Very High	9.1x
36	Physics North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC	61 57–62	$43,740/yr	Very High	11.3x
37	Physics University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI	54 46–61	$36,878/yr	Very High	14.6x
38	Physics University of Delaware · Newark, DE	58 55–60	$52,741/yr	Very High	7.2x
39	Physics The University of Texas at Arlington · Arlington, TX	53 43–61	$34,611/yr	Very High	16.0x
40	Physics Oregon State University-Cascades Campus · Bend, OR	59 55–60	$48,169/yr	Very High	8.6x
41	Physics University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA	58 54–59	$50,219/yr	Very High	7.5x
42	Physics Oregon State University · Corvallis, OR	58 54–59	$48,169/yr	Very High	7.9x
43	Physics University of Colorado Boulder · Boulder, CO	53 47–58	$41,874/yr	Very High	9.6x
44	Physics University of Massachusetts-Lowell · Lowell, MA	56 51–57	$48,324/yr	Very High	6.3x
45	Physics Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Cambridge, MA	52 45–58	$54,773/yr	Very High	4.2x
46	Physics Rowan University · Glassboro, NJ	51 42–60	$36,435/yr	Very High	12.5x
47	Physics Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · Troy, NY	53 46–58	$60,348/yr	Very High	3.5x
48	Physics Georgia State University · Atlanta, GA	51 43–57	$31,001/yr	Very High	15.9x
49	Physics Rutgers University-Camden · Camden, NJ	49 40–59	$35,689/yr	Very High	11.9x
50	Physics Rutgers University-New Brunswick · New Brunswick, NJ	49 40–59	$35,689/yr	Very High	11.8x
51	Physics Rutgers University-Newark · Newark, NJ	49 41–60	$35,689/yr	Very High	12.3x
52	Physics University of Utah · Salt Lake City, UT	55 51–56	$38,748/yr	Very High	9.4x
53	Physics Virginia Military Institute · Lexington, VA	53 48–55	$46,641/yr	Very High	4.7x
54	Physics Whitworth University · Spokane, WA	54 49–56	$65,316/yr	Very High	2.2x
55	Physics Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ	48 38–57	$30,503/yr	Very High	14.3x
56	Physics University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA	53 49–55	$43,144/yr	Very High	6.6x
57	Physics University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA	53 48–55	$68,215/yr	Very High	1.6x
58	Physics Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI	47 39–55	$33,400/yr	Very High	10.7x
59	Physics The University of Texas at San Antonio · San Antonio, TX	53 49–53	$36,328/yr	Very High	9.1x
60	Physics Montclair State University · Montclair, NJ	50 46–52	$39,740/yr	Very High	5.7x
61	Physics Virginia Commonwealth University · Richmond, VA	49 45–51	$39,804/yr	Very High	5.0x
62	Physics University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA	48 44–50	$37,859/yr	Very High	5.5x
63	Physics Northeastern University · Boston, MA	47 42–49	$49,399/yr	Very High	1.0x
64	Physics Cornell University · Ithaca, NY	47 43–50	$50,933/yr	Very High	0.9x
65	Physics Rochester Institute of Technology · Rochester, NY	47 42–49	$48,374/yr	Very High	1.1x
66	Physics University of Northern Colorado · Greeley, CO	47 42–48	$34,373/yr	Very High	6.2x
67	Physics Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN	44 40–45	$30,203/yr	Very High	6.6x
68	Physics University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus · Waterbury, CT	42 37–44	$32,341/yr	Very High	3.6x
69	Physics University of Connecticut-Avery Point · Groton, CT	42 37–44	$32,341/yr	Very High	3.6x
70	Physics University of Connecticut-Stamford · Stamford, CT	42 37–44	$32,341/yr	Very High	3.6x
71	Physics University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus · Hartford, CT	42 37–44	$32,341/yr	Very High	3.6x
72	Physics Arizona State University Digital Immersion · Scottsdale, AZ	41 35–44	$30,503/yr	Very High	—
73	Physics University of Connecticut · Storrs, CT	41 36–43	$32,341/yr	Very High	3.0x
74	Physics University of California-Riverside · Riverside, CA	34 30–36	$19,977/yr	Very High	2.5x
75	Physics New York University · New York, NY	30 25–33	$24,802/yr	Very High	0.0x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Physics?

Based on our DegreeWorth Score, Brigham Young University ranks #1 for Physics with a score of 75/100 and graduate earnings of $68,664/yr.

How much do Physics graduates earn?

Across 75 schools, Physics graduates earn an average of $46,482/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $70,150/yr.

Is Physics a good major for AI resistance?

Physics has an average AI task exposure of 56%, rated "Very High". This field has significant AI exposure. Check individual program pages for scenario analysis.

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.