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Admission Comparison Between Best Physics Schools

Admission StatsSATACTApplication Checklist

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 15.81% and the average admission yield (enrollment rate) is 32.84%.
California Institute of Technology has the tighest (lowest) acceptance rate of 2.57% and University of Chicago has the highest yield (enrollment rate) of 88.29% 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 2024-2025.
Admission Stats Comparison Between Best Physics Schools
RankName ApplicantsAdmittedEnrolledAcceptance RateEnrollment Rate
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
28,232 (17,210/8,975) 1,284 (606/612) 1,102 (542/497) 5% (4%/7%) 86% (89%/6%)
2 California Institute of Technology
13,856 (9,401/4,446) 356 (166/190) 218 (107/111) 3% (2%/4%) 61% (64%/2%)
2 Harvard University
54,008 (25,613/28,372) 1,970 (920/1,050) 1,647 (767/880) 4% (4%/4%) 84% (83%/3%)
2 Princeton University
40,468 (20,563/19,883) 1,868 (903/965) 1,410 (693/717) 5% (4%/5%) 75% (77%/4%)
2 Stanford University
57,326 (29,602/27,724) 2,067 (1,015/1,052) 1,693 (835/858) 4% (3%/4%) 82% (82%/3%)
2 University of California-Berkeley
124,242 (60,612/63,630) 13,639 (5,473/8,166) 6,272 (2,705/3,567) 11% (9%/13%) 46% (49%/6%)
7 Cornell University
62,993 (32,321/30,643) 5,516 (2,529/2,987) 3,525 (1,648/1,877) 9% (8%/10%) 64% (65%/6%)
7 University of Chicago
43,612 (19,195/23,636) 1,955 (1,070/885) 1,726 (955/771) 4% (6%/4%) 88% (89%/3%)
9 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
73,742 (41,597/32,124) 31,247 (15,134/16,102) 9,008 (4,538/4,469) 42% (36%/50%) 29% (30%/14%)
10 University of California-Santa Barbara
110,259 (50,112/60,147) 36,347 (14,725/21,622) 5,008 (1,918/3,090) 33% (29%/36%) 14% (13%/5%)
Average60,874 (30,623/30,623)9,625 (4,254/5,363)3,161 (1,471/1,684)15.81% (13.9%/17.5%)32.84% (34.6%/31.4%)

SAT Scores Comparison

The average SAT score of best Physics schools is 1534. By subject, the average score of the SAT EBRW(Evidence-based Reading and Writing) is 750 and the average SAT Math score is 784.
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 2024-2025.
SAT Score Comparison Between Best Physics Schools
RankNameSubmit%*
(Submit#**)		SAT TotalEvidence-Based Reading and WritingMath
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology
83%
(911)		1560760800
2California Institute of Technology
Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission.
2Harvard University
54%
(892)		1550760790
2Princeton University
56%
(783)		1550760790
2Stanford University
51%
(857)		1550760790
2University of California-Berkeley
Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission.
7Cornell University
40%
(1,424)		1540750790
7University of Chicago
49%
(850)		1550760790
9University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
48%
(4,310)		1440700740
10University of California-Santa Barbara
Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Santa Barbara admission.
Average54.43% 1534750784

*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.

**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.

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 2024-2025.
ACT Score Comparison Between Best Physics Schools
RankNameSubmit%*
(Submit#**)		CompositeEnglishMath
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology
29%
(322)		353535
2California Institute of Technology
Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission.
2Harvard University
19%
(321)		353535
2Princeton University
21%
(303)		353535
2Stanford University
19%
(324)		353535
2University of California-Berkeley
Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission.
7Cornell University
13%
(455)		343535
7University of Chicago
27%
(460)		353534
9University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
16%
(1,408)		323432
10University of California-Santa Barbara
Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Santa Barbara admission.
Average20.57% 343534

*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 2024-2025 data.
Application Requirements Comparison Between Best Physics Schools
Rank NameHS GPAHS RankHS Record Prep. ProgramRec.Compe.SAT/ACTTOEFL
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.