Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked first in the Best Physics Colleges rankings, followed by California Institute of Technology and Harvard University.
The average tuition & fees of Best Physics Colleges is $16,363 for in-state and $59,190 for out-of-state students for the academic year 2024-2025.
University of Chicago has the highest tuition & fees of $69,324 and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has the lowest tuition & fees of $40,096 among Best Physics Colleges. For graduate programs, the 2025 average graduate tuition & fees of the schools is $16,756 for in-state and $50,758 for out-of-state students.
The average acceptance rate is 11.86% and the SAT score is 1534 for the Best Physics Colleges. Their acceptance rate is low, making it difficult to get into the schools, and the SAT score is very high.
| Rank | School Name | Undergraduate Tuition | Graduate Tuition | Acceptance Rate | SAT/ACT Scores | Student Population | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA | $62,396 $2,240 | $62,396 $997 | 4.55% -0.19% | 1,560 SAT 35 ACT 10 /0 | 11,886 -34 | 96% |
| 2 | California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CA | $65,898 $2,643 | $65,706 $2,643 | 2.57% -0.57% | - | 2,430 -33 | 94% 1% |
| 3 | Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA | $61,676 $2,600 | $57,248 $1,808 | 3.65% 0.20% | 1,550 SAT 35 ACT0 /0 | 30,259 -127 | 98% 1% |
| 4 | Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ | $62,688 $2,978 | $65,936 $3,076 | 4.62% 0.12% | 1,550 SAT 35 ACT 10 /1 | 9,137 215 | 98% 1% |
| 5 | Stanford UniversityStanford, CA | $65,910 $3,426 | $61,878 $2,379 | 3.61% -0.30% | 1,550 SAT 35 ACT0 /0 | 18,625 179 | 92% |
| 6 | University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA | $47,265 ($15,377) $1,638 ($527) | $30,968 ($15,866) $605 ($605) | 10.98% -0.68% | - | 45,882 183 | 93% 1% |
| 7 | Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY | $69,314 $3,300 | $30,160 $75 | 8.76% 0.60% | 1,540 SAT 34 ACT 20 /0 | 26,793 529 | 95% |
| 8 | University of ChicagoChicago, IL | $69,324 $3,705 | $68,652 $2,109 | 4.48% -0.31% | 1,550 SAT 35 ACT0 /0 | 18,566 227 | 96% 2% |
| 9 | University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL | $40,096 ($18,267) $904 ($207) | $34,406 ($19,278) $766 ($441) | 42.37% -1.32% | 1,440 SAT 32 ACT 30 /0 | 59,238 2,675 | 85% 1% |
| 10 | University of California-Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA | $47,332 ($15,444) $1,590 ($479) | $30,226 ($15,124) $671 ($671) | 32.97% 5.19% | - | 26,133 65 | 83% -2% |
| Average | $59,190 ($16,363) | $50,758 ($16,756) | 12% | 1,534 | 24,895 | 93% |