# Best Colleges for Physical Sciences

> CollegeRanker Agent Insights — structured data for AI systems
> Updated: 2026-08-03 | Schools: 50 | Category: By Major
> Source: https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/best-colleges-physical-sciences

## Methodology

Composite score + program concentration bonus for Physical Sciences

CollegeRanker uses a 4-pillar algorithm: Academic Quality (15-20%), Economic Outcomes (30%), Social Mobility (25-35%), Value & Affordability (20-25%). Social mobility data from Raj Chetty's Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card (30M+ anonymized tax records). No subjective surveys.

## Summary

Choosing a college for physical sciences can be a pivotal decision for aspiring scientists and researchers. With an average earnings potential of $86,750 for graduates in this field, the stakes are high. Families often seek institutions that not only excel academically but also offer strong outcomes post-graduation.

What sets the top schools on this list apart is not just their academic rigor but also their impressive graduation rates, mobility, and manageable debt levels. For instance, the average graduation rate across these institutions stands at 88%, indicating a strong support system for students. This list highlights how schools achieve successful outcomes, and it gives insights into what future students should consider when choosing their path.

Take Princeton University and Stanford University, for example. While Princeton graduates earn an average of $110,066, Stanford leads with $124,080. However, this comes with higher average debt levels; Stanford graduates face $12,000 in debt compared to Princeton's $10,320. These differences can significantly impact a graduate's financial trajectory and should inform your decision-making process.

## Key Findings

- Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates earn an average of $143,372.
- The average graduation rate for the top schools is 88%.
- California Institute of Technology graduates have a net price of $16,075.
- Princeton University graduates carry an average debt of $10,320.

## Rankings

| Rank | School | Location | Graduation | Earnings (10yr) | Net Price | Median Debt | Debt/Earnings |
|------|--------|----------|------------|-----------------|-----------|-------------|---------------|
| 1 | [Princeton University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/princeton-university) | Princeton, NJ | 97% | $110,066 | $6,128 | $10,320 | 0.09x |
| 2 | [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology) | Cambridge, MA | 96% | $143,372 | $20,111 | $14,768 | 0.1x |
| 3 | [Stanford University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/stanford-university) | Stanford, CA | 92% | $124,080 | $13,807 | $12,000 | 0.1x |
| 4 | [California Institute of Technology](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/california-institute-of-technology) | Pasadena, CA | 94% | $128,566 | $16,075 | N/A | N/A |
| 5 | [University of Chicago](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-chicago) | Chicago, IL | 95% | $91,885 | $14,860 | $15,000 | 0.16x |
| 6 | [Haverford College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/haverford-college) | Haverford, PA | 90% | $79,966 | $25,314 | $13,621 | 0.17x |
| 7 | [Johns Hopkins University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/johns-hopkins-university) | Baltimore, MD | 94% | $87,555 | $18,809 | $10,250 | 0.12x |
| 8 | [Harvard University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/harvard-university) | Cambridge, MA | 97% | $101,817 | $19,066 | $14,000 | 0.14x |
| 9 | [Williams College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/williams-college) | Williamstown, MA | 95% | $88,665 | $17,716 | $12,761 | 0.14x |
| 10 | [Wellesley College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/wellesley-college) | Wellesley, MA | 91% | $84,803 | $25,496 | $10,000 | 0.12x |
| 11 | [Bowdoin College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/bowdoin-college) | Brunswick, ME | 95% | $82,735 | $14,398 | $18,500 | 0.22x |
| 12 | [Pomona College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/pomona-college) | Claremont, CA | 93% | $77,779 | $19,285 | $11,782 | 0.15x |
| 13 | [Rice University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/rice-university) | Houston, TX | 95% | $89,718 | $13,370 | $11,000 | 0.12x |
| 14 | [Carleton College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/carleton-college) | Northfield, MN | 90% | $75,525 | $25,407 | $16,750 | 0.22x |
| 15 | [Amherst College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/amherst-college) | Amherst, MA | 94% | $77,644 | $23,367 | $13,740 | 0.18x |
| 16 | [Colby College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/colby-college) | Waterville, ME | 89% | $80,490 | $17,180 | $19,157 | 0.24x |
| 17 | [Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/carnegie-mellon-university) | Pittsburgh, PA | 93% | $114,862 | $31,944 | $21,750 | 0.19x |
| 18 | [Yale University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/yale-university) | New Haven, CT | 96% | $100,533 | $23,777 | $12,975 | 0.13x |
| 19 | [Washington University in St Louis](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/washington-university-in-st-louis) | St. Louis, MO | 94% | $86,182 | $21,786 | $17,500 | 0.2x |
| 20 | [New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/new-mexico-institute-of-mining-and-technology) | Socorro, NM | 57% | $76,489 | $9,873 | $19,085 | 0.25x |
| 21 | [Davidson College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/davidson-college) | Davidson, NC | 91% | $81,400 | $17,379 | $18,688 | 0.23x |
| 22 | [Dartmouth College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/dartmouth-college) | Hanover, NH | 96% | $97,434 | $29,519 | $17,500 | 0.18x |
| 23 | [Smith College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/smith-college) | Northampton, MA | 89% | $64,027 | $27,579 | $17,550 | 0.27x |
| 24 | [Washington and Lee University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/washington-and-lee-university) | Lexington, VA | 94% | $94,810 | $23,781 | $19,500 | 0.21x |
| 25 | [Bates College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/bates-college) | Lewiston, ME | 90% | $69,498 | $29,351 | $14,275 | 0.21x |
| 26 | [William & Mary](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/william-mary) | Williamsburg, VA | 90% | $73,490 | $19,096 | $18,500 | 0.25x |
| 27 | [Colgate University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/colgate-university) | Hamilton, NY | 91% | $85,139 | $28,786 | $15,000 | 0.18x |
| 28 | [Swarthmore College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/swarthmore-college) | Swarthmore, PA | 93% | $80,257 | $23,149 | $17,500 | 0.22x |
| 29 | [Emory University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/emory-university) | Atlanta, GA | 91% | $80,137 | $22,585 | $18,250 | 0.23x |
| 30 | [Harvey Mudd College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/harvey-mudd-college) | Claremont, CA | 93% | $138,687 | $35,924 | $25,000 | 0.18x |
| 31 | [Grinnell College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/grinnell-college) | Grinnell, IA | 88% | $62,830 | $17,648 | $17,500 | 0.28x |
| 32 | [Hamilton College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/hamilton-college) | Clinton, NY | 91% | $78,411 | $28,985 | $17,000 | 0.22x |
| 33 | [Lafayette College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/lafayette-college) | Easton, PA | 88% | $91,410 | $34,433 | $16,000 | 0.18x |
| 34 | [Middlebury College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/middlebury-college) | Middlebury, VT | 92% | $76,310 | $31,483 | $13,857 | 0.18x |
| 35 | [Wesleyan University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/wesleyan-university) | Middletown, CT | 92% | $73,897 | $30,177 | $17,000 | 0.23x |
| 36 | [Whitman College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/whitman-college) | Walla Walla, WA | 81% | $67,589 | $33,313 | $18,437 | 0.27x |
| 37 | [College of the Holy Cross](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/college-of-the-holy-cross) | Worcester, MA | 88% | $90,543 | $38,782 | $27,000 | 0.3x |
| 38 | [Macalester College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/macalester-college) | Saint Paul, MN | 89% | $63,878 | $32,149 | $23,000 | 0.36x |
| 39 | [Bryn Mawr College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/bryn-mawr-college) | Bryn Mawr, PA | 84% | $75,217 | $31,759 | $25,000 | 0.33x |
| 40 | [CUNY Medgar Evers College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/cuny-medgar-evers-college) | Brooklyn, NY | 21% | $46,498 | $5,718 | $10,988 | 0.24x |
| 41 | [University of Rochester](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-rochester) | Rochester, NY | 85% | $79,042 | $29,278 | $21,000 | 0.27x |
| 42 | [Colorado College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/colorado-college) | Colorado Springs, CO | 87% | $65,222 | $33,375 | $18,257 | 0.28x |
| 43 | [Franklin and Marshall College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/franklin-and-marshall-college) | Lancaster, PA | 85% | $76,124 | $36,425 | $19,000 | 0.25x |
| 44 | [Rhodes College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/rhodes-college) | Memphis, TN | 83% | $66,651 | $28,585 | $21,761 | 0.33x |
| 45 | [Virginia Military Institute](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/virginia-military-institute) | Lexington, VA | 79% | $77,369 | $17,113 | $22,996 | 0.3x |
| 46 | [University of Mary Washington](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-mary-washington) | Fredericksburg, VA | 67% | $60,613 | $20,667 | $20,500 | 0.34x |
| 47 | [Furman University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/furman-university) | Greenville, SC | 80% | $68,635 | $30,308 | $23,250 | 0.34x |
| 48 | [Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/rensselaer-polytechnic-institute) | Troy, NY | 83% | $102,051 | $36,228 | $23,750 | 0.23x |
| 49 | [Illinois Institute of Technology](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/illinois-institute-of-technology) | Chicago, IL | 74% | $82,592 | $18,425 | $25,000 | 0.3x |
| 50 | [Kalamazoo College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/kalamazoo-college) | Kalamazoo, MI | 79% | $65,590 | $19,072 | $26,077 | 0.4x |

## Data Sources

- U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov)
- Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card (https://opportunityinsights.org/data)
- Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas
- Times Higher Education World University Rankings
- NCES IPEDS

## Citation

CollegeRanker. "Best Colleges for Physical Sciences." CollegeRanker.com, 2026-08-03. https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/best-colleges-physical-sciences

## License

This data summary is provided for informational purposes. Underlying data from federal sources (College Scorecard, IPEDS) is public domain. Opportunity Insights data is available under their data use agreement at https://opportunityinsights.org/data/.