Acceptance Rate and Application Statistics
The following table compares the admission related statistics including number of applicants, admitted, and enrolled between best Physics schools. The average acceptance rate of best Physics schools is 14.11% and the average admission yield (enrollment rate) is 35.85%.
California Institute of Technology has the tighest (lowest) acceptance rate of 2.69% and Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the highest yield (enrollment rate) of 84.97% among best Physics schools. The numbers in parenthesis() in below table represent the number and rate by gender (men/women). The statistics is based on the latest data from IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education for academic year 2022-2023.
| Rank | Name | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Acceptance Rate | Enrollment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 33,767 (21,588/12,179) | 1,337 (661/676) | 1,136 (582/554) | 4% (3%/6%) | 85% (88%/5%) |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | 16,626 (11,352/5,274) | 448 (211/237) | 224 (116/108) | 3% (2%/4%) | 50% (55%/2%) |
| 2 | Harvard University | 61,221 (28,024/33,197) | 1,984 (908/1,076) | 1,646 (740/906) | 3% (3%/3%) | 83% (81%/3%) |
| 2 | Princeton University | 38,019 (18,422/19,597) | 2,167 (1,045/1,122) | 1,499 (736/763) | 6% (6%/6%) | 69% (70%/4%) |
| 2 | Stanford University | 56,378 (28,379/27,999) | 2,075 (948/1,127) | 1,736 (794/942) | 4% (3%/4%) | 84% (84%/3%) |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley | 128,209 (61,188/67,021) | 14,523 (5,357/9,166) | 6,728 (2,701/4,027) | 11% (9%/14%) | 46% (50%/6%) |
| 7 | Cornell University | 69,195 (34,671/34,524) | 5,168 (2,317/2,851) | 3,491 (1,570/1,921) | 7% (7%/8%) | 68% (68%/6%) |
| 7 | University of Chicago | 37,522 (16,830/20,670) | 2,039 (1,064/975) | 1,729 (936/793) | 5% (6%/5%) | 85% (88%/4%) |
| 9 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 63,257 (36,223/27,010) | 28,354 (13,926/14,418) | 7,957 (4,076/3,879) | 45% (38%/53%) | 28% (29%/14%) |
| 10 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 110,995 (50,599/60,396) | 28,688 (11,643/17,045) | 4,967 (2,089/2,878) | 26% (23%/28%) | 17% (18%/5%) |
| Average | 61,519 (30,728/30,728) | 8,678 (3,808/4,869) | 3,111 (1,434/1,677) | 14.11% (12.4%/15.8%) | 35.85% (37.7%/34.4%) | |
SAT Scores Comparison
The average SAT score of best Physics schools is 1530. By subject, the average score of the SAT EBRW(Evidence-based Reading and Writing) is 750 and the average SAT Math score is 780.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the highest SAT scores of 1,560 and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has the lowest SAT scores of 1,440 among best Physics schools. The following table compares SAT Scores between best Physics schools for the academic year 2022-2023.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | SAT Total | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 78% (883) | 1560 | 760 | 800 |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission. | |||
| 2 | Harvard University | 55% (903) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 2 | Princeton University | 59% (890) | 1540 | 760 | 780 |
| 2 | Stanford University | 49% (855) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission. | |||
| 7 | Cornell University | 37% (1,281) | 1530 | 750 | 780 |
| 7 | University of Chicago | 52% (891) | 1540 | 760 | 780 |
| 9 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 44% (3,485) | 1440 | 700 | 740 |
| 10 | University of California-Santa Barbara | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Santa Barbara admission. | |||
| Average | 53.43% | 1530 | 750 | 780 | |
ACT Scores Comparison
The average ACT score of best Physics schools is 34. By subject, the average ACT English score is 35 and the ACT math score is 34.
The following table compares ACT Scores between best Physics schools for academic year 2022-2023.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | Composite | English | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 32% (362) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission. | |||
| 2 | Harvard University | 28% (466) | 35 | 35 | 34 |
| 2 | Princeton University | 25% (376) | 35 | 35 | 34 |
| 2 | Stanford University | 23% (405) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission. | |||
| 7 | Cornell University | 14% (490) | 34 | 35 | 34 |
| 7 | University of Chicago | 32% (546) | 34 | 35 | 34 |
| 9 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 20% (1,560) | 32 | 33 | 31 |
| 10 | University of California-Santa Barbara | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Santa Barbara admission. | |||
| Average | 24.86% | 34 | 35 | 34 | |
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
Application Requirements
The following table list and compare the requirements when applying best Physics schools based on academic year 2022-2023 data.
| Rank | Name | HS GPA | HS Rank | HS Record | Prep. Program | Rec. | Compe. | SAT/ACT | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 2 | Harvard University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2 | Princeton University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 2 | Stanford University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 7 | Cornell University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 7 | University of Chicago | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 9 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 10 | University of California-Santa Barbara | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ |
✔: Required △: Considered but not Required ✔: Recommended ✗: Neither Required nor Recommended
- HS GPA: High School or Secondary School GPA
- HS Rank: High School or Secondary School Rank
- HS Record: High School or Secondary School Record
- Prep. Program: Completion of College Preparatory Program
- Rec.: Recommendations
- Comp.: Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)
The ranking data is provided by CollegeEvaluator.
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.