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Most Popular Physics Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Physics Schools in Illinois

32 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Physics Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 32 schools in Illinois to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Physics program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Physics Colleges.

Our analysis found University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to be the most popular school for physics students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.

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

Read full report on Physics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Chicago is a great place for physics students. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

After completing their degree, physics graduates from UChicago carry an average student debt load of $19,972.

Full Physics at University of Chicago Report

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northwestern University is a great place for physics students. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Full Physics at Northwestern University Report

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Chicago is a great place for physics students. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chicago.

Full Physics at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

The excellent programs at Illinois State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best physics schools in Illinois. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.

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With a ranking of #6, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Physics majors at Loyola Chicago take out an average of $24,572 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Physics at Loyola University Chicago

#7

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

Lewis University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular physics programs. Lewis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Romeoville.

On average, physics graduates from Lewis take out $23,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Physics at Lewis University

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for physics students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Physics at Illinois Institute of Technology

With a ranking of #9, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Wheaton.

Full Physics at Wheaton College Illinois Report

Western Illinois University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physics Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Physics at Western Illinois University Report

Best Physics Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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 26 schools only.

  • 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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