{
  "major": "Physics",
  "slug": "physics",
  "field": "Physical & Earth Sciences",
  "as_of": "2026",
  "url": "https://collegeranked.com/best-physics-schools/",
  "source": "U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2026 release); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
  "metric_definitions": {
    "median_earnings": "Median earnings one year after graduation (Scorecard)",
    "net_price": "Average annual cost of attendance after grant aid. For PUBLIC schools this reflects IN-STATE cost; out-of-state students pay more.",
    "roi_10yr_usd": "Ten years of earnings minus four years of net price",
    "public": "true = public university (net_price is in-state basis); false = private (residency-neutral)"
  },
  "total_colleges_with_reported_data": 77,
  "shown": 25,
  "ranking": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "school": "Brigham Young University",
      "state": "UT",
      "median_earnings": 68664,
      "net_price": 15564,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 624384,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "school": "Portland State University",
      "state": "OR",
      "median_earnings": 62749,
      "net_price": 9552,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 589282,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "school": "Massachusetts Institute of Technology",
      "state": "MA",
      "median_earnings": 54773,
      "net_price": 20111,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 467286,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "school": "University of California-Santa Barbara",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 53597,
      "net_price": 16109,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 471534,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "school": "California State Polytechnic University-Pomona",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 64045,
      "net_price": 11531,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 594326,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "school": "University of California-Los Angeles",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 60495,
      "net_price": 12548,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 554758,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "school": "California State University-San Marcos",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 56018,
      "net_price": 10229,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 519264,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 8,
      "school": "University of Wisconsin-La Crosse",
      "state": "WI",
      "median_earnings": 54428,
      "net_price": 16210,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 479440,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 9,
      "school": "Salisbury University",
      "state": "MD",
      "median_earnings": 54548,
      "net_price": 17743,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 474508,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 10,
      "school": "University of Michigan-Ann Arbor",
      "state": "MI",
      "median_earnings": 53019,
      "net_price": 13138,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 477638,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 11,
      "school": "University of California-San Diego",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 48951,
      "net_price": 12470,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 439630,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 12,
      "school": "Ohio State University-Main Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 53504,
      "net_price": 17339,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 465684,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 13,
      "school": "Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 60348,
      "net_price": 36228,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 458568,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 14,
      "school": "University of South Florida",
      "state": "FL",
      "median_earnings": 46094,
      "net_price": 9812,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 421692,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 15,
      "school": "University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign",
      "state": "IL",
      "median_earnings": 51019,
      "net_price": 14355,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 452770,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 16,
      "school": "Texas State University",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 41737,
      "net_price": 16805,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 350150,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 17,
      "school": "California State University-San Bernardino",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 57114,
      "net_price": 4564,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 552884,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 18,
      "school": "University of Minnesota-Twin Cities",
      "state": "MN",
      "median_earnings": 54350,
      "net_price": 16778,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 476388,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 19,
      "school": "Stony Brook University",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 44562,
      "net_price": 18784,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 370484,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 20,
      "school": "California State University-Long Beach",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 42057,
      "net_price": 10440,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 378810,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 21,
      "school": "Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University",
      "state": "VA",
      "median_earnings": 58061,
      "net_price": 24953,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 480798,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 22,
      "school": "University of Washington-Seattle Campus",
      "state": "WA",
      "median_earnings": 41474,
      "net_price": 14091,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 358376,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 23,
      "school": "University of Washington-Bothell Campus",
      "state": "WA",
      "median_earnings": 41474,
      "net_price": 12319,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 365464,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 24,
      "school": "University of Maryland-College Park",
      "state": "MD",
      "median_earnings": 39825,
      "net_price": 15678,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 335538,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 25,
      "school": "University of North Carolina at Charlotte",
      "state": "NC",
      "median_earnings": 70150,
      "net_price": 15435,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 639760,
      "public": true
    }
  ]
}