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Best Physics Schools in Illinois

2023 Best Physics Schools in Illinois

11 Colleges
$48,413 Avg Salary
$21,886 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Physics School for You

Physics is the #66 most popular major in Illinois with 483 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Physics Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 11 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Physics Schools in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Physics Colleges.

Top 10 Best Physics Schools

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in Illinois for physics students. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

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Out of the 11 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois Institute of Technology landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

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#3

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

The excellent programs at University of Chicago helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best physics schools in Illinois. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

While working on their degree, physics majors at UChicago accumulate an average of around $19,972 in student debt.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for physics students. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Physics majors at UIUC take out an average of $19,750 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $674.

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The excellent programs at Loyola University Chicago helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best physics schools in Illinois. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

On average, physics graduates from Loyola Chicago take out $24,572 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Columbia College Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Best Physics Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

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University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best physics programs. UIC is a very large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

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Illinois State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for physics students. It came in at #8 on the list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

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Western Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Physics Schools in Illinois list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Physics Schools in Illinois ranking. SIUE is a large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.

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Best Physics Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Physics Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 344
Ohio 393
Indiana 255
Wisconsin 264

One of 8 majors within the area of study, physics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 21,239
Geological & Earth Sciences 7,821
General Physical Sciences 3,823
Astronomy & Astrophysics 1,375
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 1,140

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 11 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to A. T. Service.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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