Physics.

Doctoral Degree•166 Institutions

Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.

Annual Full Cost vs. Median Earnings

Each dot represents one program at an institution. Shows the spread of annual sticker price (or net price if sticker price is unavailable) vs earnings 4 years post-grad.

Field Median ($128,659)

P25-P75 Interval ($89,305 - $141,253)

Bachelor's Baseline ($56,938)

Breakeven Line (0% ROI)

These figures are medians for past graduates who received federal aid. Your cost and pay will differ. Run your own numbers in the Guided ROI Interview →

Institution	State	Earnings	Avg Net Price	Median Debt	Lifetime Value Added
University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles	CA	$178,137 Nat: $130,153 4yr Post-Grad	$14,659 /yr	-	+$616k
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley	CA	$177,589 Nat: $130,153 4yr Post-Grad	$14,538 /yr	-	+$612k
University of California-San Diego La Jolla	CA	$166,997 Nat: $130,153 4yr Post-Grad	$14,794 /yr	-	+$534k
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign	IL	$163,024 Nat: $130,153 4yr Post-Grad	$13,042 /yr	-	+$511k
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor	MI	$141,253 Nat: $130,153 4yr Post-Grad	$14,362 /yr	-	+$347k
University of California-Davis Davis	CA	$141,034 Nat: $130,153 4yr Post-Grad	$14,318 /yr	-	+$346k
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder	CO	$139,073 Nat: $130,153 5yr Post-Grad	$23,708 /yr	-	+$277k
Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus	OH	$132,984 Nat: $130,153 4yr Post-Grad	$17,269 /yr	-	+$276k
The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio	TX	$128,659 Nat: $130,153 5yr Post-Grad	$9,872 /yr	-	+$252k
University of Arizona Tucson	AZ	$125,995 Nat: $130,153 5yr Post-Grad	$17,125 /yr	-	+$207k
University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara	CA	$95,688 Nat: $130,153 2yr Post-Grad	$16,807 /yr	-	+$31k
University of California-Irvine Irvine	CA	$92,632 Nat: $130,153 2yr Post-Grad	$13,866 /yr	-	+$18k
University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham	AL	- Nat: $130,153	$15,630 /yr	-	-$0
The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa	AL	- Nat: $130,153	$20,202 /yr	-	-$0
Auburn University Auburn	AL	- Nat: $130,153	$25,424 /yr	-	-$0
Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe	AZ	- Nat: $130,153	$14,694 /yr	-	-$0
University of Arkansas Fayetteville	AR	- Nat: $130,153	$17,571 /yr	-	-$0
California Institute of Technology Pasadena	CA	- Nat: $130,153	$8,509 /yr	-	-$0
University of California-Riverside Riverside	CA	- Nat: $130,153	$12,672 /yr	-	-$0
University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz	CA	- Nat: $130,153	$18,549 /yr	-	-$0
University of Southern California Los Angeles	CA	- Nat: $130,153	$33,056 /yr	-	-$0
Colorado School of Mines Golden	CO	- Nat: $130,153	$32,901 /yr	-	-$0
Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins	CO	- Nat: $130,153	$22,247 /yr	-	-$0
University of Denver Denver	CO	- Nat: $130,153	$31,961 /yr	-	-$0
University of Connecticut Storrs	CT	- Nat: $130,153	$24,342 /yr	-	-$0
Wesleyan University Middletown	CT	- Nat: $130,153	$23,014 /yr	-	-$0
Yale University New Haven	CT	- Nat: $130,153	$11,340 /yr	-	-$0
Delaware State University Dover	DE	- Nat: $130,153	$19,832 /yr	-	-$0
University of Delaware Newark	DE	- Nat: $130,153	$16,337 /yr	-	-$0
The Catholic University of America Washington	DC	- Nat: $130,153	$32,543 /yr	-	-$0
George Washington University Washington	DC	- Nat: $130,153	$35,760 /yr	-	-$0
Georgetown University Washington	DC	- Nat: $130,153	$33,661 /yr	-	-$0
University of Central Florida Orlando	FL	- Nat: $130,153	$11,516 /yr	-	-$0
Florida International University Miami	FL	- Nat: $130,153	$11,462 /yr	-	-$0
University of Florida Gainesville	FL	- Nat: $130,153	$5,969 /yr	-	-$0
University of Miami Coral Gables	FL	- Nat: $130,153	$36,483 /yr	-	-$0
University of South Florida Tampa	FL	- Nat: $130,153	$8,648 /yr	-	-$0
Emory University Atlanta	GA	- Nat: $130,153	$16,754 /yr	-	-$0
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta	GA	- Nat: $130,153	$12,028 /yr	-	-$0
Georgia State University Atlanta	GA	- Nat: $130,153	$12,365 /yr	-	-$0
University of Georgia Athens	GA	- Nat: $130,153	$13,636 /yr	-	-$0
University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu	HI	- Nat: $130,153	$11,122 /yr	-	-$0
University of Idaho Moscow	ID	- Nat: $130,153	$15,321 /yr	-	-$0
University of Chicago Chicago	IL	- Nat: $130,153	$16,776 /yr	-	-$0
Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago	IL	- Nat: $130,153	$22,443 /yr	-	-$0
Northern Illinois University Dekalb	IL	- Nat: $130,153	$14,505 /yr	-	-$0
Northwestern University Evanston	IL	- Nat: $130,153	$34,420 /yr	-	-$0
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale	IL	- Nat: $130,153	$12,554 /yr	-	-$0
Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis	IN	- Nat: $130,153	$9,479 /yr	-	-$0
Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington	IN	- Nat: $130,153	$16,003 /yr	-	-$0
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame	IN	- Nat: $130,153	$25,339 /yr	-	-$0
Iowa State University Ames	IA	- Nat: $130,153	$18,517 /yr	-	-$0
University of Iowa Iowa City	IA	- Nat: $130,153	$22,508 /yr	-	-$0
University of Kansas Lawrence	KS	- Nat: $130,153	$20,004 /yr	-	-$0
Kansas State University Manhattan	KS	- Nat: $130,153	$18,210 /yr	-	-$0
University of Kentucky Lexington	KY	- Nat: $130,153	$18,868 /yr	-	-$0
University of Louisville Louisville	KY	- Nat: $130,153	$14,960 /yr	-	-$0
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge	LA	- Nat: $130,153	$19,286 /yr	-	-$0
Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans	LA	- Nat: $130,153	$40,693 /yr	-	-$0
University of Maine Orono	ME	- Nat: $130,153	$17,224 /yr	-	-$0
Johns Hopkins University Baltimore	MD	- Nat: $130,153	$18,431 /yr	-	-$0
University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore	MD	- Nat: $130,153	$25,203 /yr	-	-$0
Boston College Chestnut Hill	MA	- Nat: $130,153	$38,930 /yr	-	-$0
Boston University Boston	MA	- Nat: $130,153	$36,503 /yr	-	-$0
Brandeis University Waltham	MA	- Nat: $130,153	$30,606 /yr	-	-$0
Harvard University Cambridge	MA	- Nat: $130,153	$19,148 /yr	-	-$0
University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell	MA	- Nat: $130,153	$17,362 /yr	-	-$0
University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst	MA	- Nat: $130,153	$22,857 /yr	-	-$0
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge	MA	- Nat: $130,153	$14,815 /yr	-	-$0
Northeastern University Boston	MA	- Nat: $130,153	$29,060 /yr	-	-$0
Tufts University Medford	MA	- Nat: $130,153	$38,797 /yr	-	-$0
Michigan State University East Lansing	MI	- Nat: $130,153	$21,322 /yr	-	-$0
Michigan Technological University Houghton	MI	- Nat: $130,153	$13,446 /yr	-	-$0
Wayne State University Detroit	MI	- Nat: $130,153	$11,212 /yr	-	-$0
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis	MN	- Nat: $130,153	$17,330 /yr	-	-$0
University of Mississippi University	MS	- Nat: $130,153	$13,752 /yr	-	-$0
University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia	MO	- Nat: $130,153	$21,142 /yr	-	-$0
Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla	MO	- Nat: $130,153	$15,772 /yr	-	-$0
University of Missouri-St Louis Saint Louis	MO	- Nat: $130,153	$14,990 /yr	-	-$0
Washington University in St Louis St. Louis	MO	- Nat: $130,153	$13,360 /yr	-	-$0
Montana State University Bozeman	MT	- Nat: $130,153	$23,106 /yr	-	-$0
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln	NE	- Nat: $130,153	$16,214 /yr	-	-$0
University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas	NV	- Nat: $130,153	$11,062 /yr	-	-$0
University of Nevada-Reno Reno	NV	- Nat: $130,153	$13,797 /yr	-	-$0
Dartmouth College Hanover	NH	- Nat: $130,153	$26,707 /yr	-	-$0
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham	NH	- Nat: $130,153	$26,150 /yr	-	-$0
Princeton University Princeton	NJ	- Nat: $130,153	$7,815 /yr	-	-$0
Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick	NJ	- Nat: $130,153	$24,897 /yr	-	-$0
Rutgers University-Newark Newark	NJ	- Nat: $130,153	$16,013 /yr	-	-$0
Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken	NJ	- Nat: $130,153	$37,396 /yr	-	-$0
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro	NM	- Nat: $130,153	$20,862 /yr	-	-$0
University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque	NM	- Nat: $130,153	$19,966 /yr	-	-$0
New Mexico State University-Main Campus Las Cruces	NM	- Nat: $130,153	$6,313 /yr	-	-$0
Clarkson University Potsdam	NY	- Nat: $130,153	$32,137 /yr	-	-$0
Columbia University in the City of New York New York	NY	- Nat: $130,153	$15,370 /yr	-	-$0
Cornell University Ithaca	NY	- Nat: $130,153	$33,934 /yr	-	-$0
CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York	NY	- Nat: $130,153	$4,766 /yr	-	-$0
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy	NY	- Nat: $130,153	$32,758 /yr	-	-$0
University of Rochester Rochester	NY	- Nat: $130,153	$34,347 /yr	-	-$0
University at Albany Albany	NY	- Nat: $130,153	$18,266 /yr	-	-$0
University at Buffalo Buffalo	NY	- Nat: $130,153	$21,775 /yr	-	-$0
Stony Brook University Stony Brook	NY	- Nat: $130,153	$18,902 /yr	-	-$0
Syracuse University Syracuse	NY	- Nat: $130,153	$43,336 /yr	-	-$0
Duke University Durham	NC	- Nat: $130,153	$23,706 /yr	-	-$0
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill	NC	- Nat: $130,153	$11,305 /yr	-	-$0
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte	NC	- Nat: $130,153	$15,142 /yr	-	-$0
North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh	NC	- Nat: $130,153	$16,486 /yr	-	-$0
University of North Dakota Grand Forks	ND	- Nat: $130,153	$18,131 /yr	-	-$0
Case Western Reserve University Cleveland	OH	- Nat: $130,153	$44,622 /yr	-	-$0
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati	OH	- Nat: $130,153	$24,917 /yr	-	-$0
Kent State University at Kent Kent	OH	- Nat: $130,153	$20,294 /yr	-	-$0
Ohio University-Main Campus Athens	OH	- Nat: $130,153	$20,666 /yr	-	-$0
University of Toledo Toledo	OH	- Nat: $130,153	$16,406 /yr	-	-$0
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater	OK	- Nat: $130,153	$17,058 /yr	-	-$0
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman	OK	- Nat: $130,153	$15,531 /yr	-	-$0
University of Tulsa Tulsa	OK	- Nat: $130,153	$13,511 /yr	-	-$0
Oregon State University Corvallis	OR	- Nat: $130,153	$21,504 /yr	-	-$0
University of Oregon Eugene	OR	- Nat: $130,153	$22,547 /yr	-	-$0
Portland State University Portland	OR	- Nat: $130,153	$8,337 /yr	-	-$0
Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh	PA	- Nat: $130,153	$35,780 /yr	-	-$0
Drexel University Philadelphia	PA	- Nat: $130,153	$37,529 /yr	-	-$0
Lehigh University Bethlehem	PA	- Nat: $130,153	$25,272 /yr	-	-$0
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park	PA	- Nat: $130,153	$33,675 /yr	-	-$0
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh	PA	- Nat: $130,153	$29,362 /yr	-	-$0
Temple University Philadelphia	PA	- Nat: $130,153	$23,058 /yr	-	-$0
Brown University Providence	RI	- Nat: $130,153	$26,976 /yr	-	-$0
Clemson University Clemson	SC	- Nat: $130,153	$22,032 /yr	-	-$0
University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia	SC	- Nat: $130,153	$22,197 /yr	-	-$0
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Rapid City	SD	- Nat: $130,153	$20,827 /yr	-	-$0
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville	TN	- Nat: $130,153	$18,314 /yr	-	-$0
Vanderbilt University Nashville	TN	- Nat: $130,153	$15,497 /yr	-	-$0
University of Houston Houston	TX	- Nat: $130,153	$11,439 /yr	-	-$0
University of North Texas Denton	TX	- Nat: $130,153	$15,358 /yr	-	-$0
Rice University Houston	TX	- Nat: $130,153	$11,164 /yr	-	-$0
Southern Methodist University Dallas	TX	- Nat: $130,153	$39,816 /yr	-	-$0
Texas A&M University-College Station College Station	TX	- Nat: $130,153	$21,527 /yr	-	-$0
The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington	TX	- Nat: $130,153	$17,040 /yr	-	-$0
The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson	TX	- Nat: $130,153	$15,271 /yr	-	-$0
Texas Tech University Lubbock	TX	- Nat: $130,153	$19,890 /yr	-	-$0
Brigham Young University Provo	UT	- Nat: $130,153	$13,397 /yr	-	-$0
Utah State University Logan	UT	- Nat: $130,153	$12,644 /yr	-	-$0
University of Utah Salt Lake City	UT	- Nat: $130,153	$27,314 /yr	-	-$0
William & Mary Williamsburg	VA	- Nat: $130,153	$18,880 /yr	-	-$0
George Mason University Fairfax	VA	- Nat: $130,153	$14,697 /yr	-	-$0
Hampton University Hampton	VA	- Nat: $130,153	$25,683 /yr	-	-$0
Old Dominion University Norfolk	VA	- Nat: $130,153	$12,913 /yr	-	-$0
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg	VA	- Nat: $130,153	$25,808 /yr	-	-$0
Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond	VA	- Nat: $130,153	$25,037 /yr	-	-$0
University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville	VA	- Nat: $130,153	$18,056 /yr	-	-$0
Washington State University Pullman	WA	- Nat: $130,153	$13,462 /yr	-	-$0
West Virginia University Morgantown	WV	- Nat: $130,153	$18,020 /yr	-	-$0
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison	WI	- Nat: $130,153	$16,600 /yr	-	-$0
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee	WI	- Nat: $130,153	$15,625 /yr	-	-$0
Stanford University Stanford	CA	- Nat: $130,153	$12,307 /yr	-	-$0
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette	IN	- Nat: $130,153	$14,851 /yr	-	-$0
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury	CT	- Nat: $130,153	$8,616 /yr	-	-$0
University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton	CT	- Nat: $130,153	$11,184 /yr	-	-$0
University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford	CT	- Nat: $130,153	$14,226 /yr	-	-$0
Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend	OR	- Nat: $130,153	$17,853 /yr	-	-$0
University of California-Merced Merced	CA	- Nat: $130,153	$11,583 /yr	-	-$0
University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford	CT	- Nat: $130,153	$13,961 /yr	-	-$0
The University of Texas at Austin Austin	TX	$89,305 Nat: $130,153 2yr Post-Grad	$18,554 /yr	-	-$25k
Florida State University Tallahassee	FL	$72,482 Nat: $130,153 2yr Post-Grad	$8,605 /yr	-	-$119k
University of Maryland-College Park College Park	MD	$72,899 Nat: $130,153 2yr Post-Grad	$14,296 /yr	-	-$136k
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle	WA	$64,493 Nat: $130,153 2yr Post-Grad	$13,663 /yr	-	-$200k
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia	PA	$69,338 Nat: $130,153 2yr Post-Grad	$29,577 /yr	-	-$219k

Analysis Notes:

Lifetime Value Added: Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median bachelor's degree holder, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes.
Avg Net Price: The average price paid by students who receive federal financial aid (grants/loans).Note: For graduate programs, the institution's average undergraduate net price is used as a proxy for annual cost, which may differ from actual graduate tuition and net price.