Physics & astronomy at Cornell
Cornell graduates about 58 physics & astronomy majors a year, 2% of its graduating class. That puts it 10th of 525 schools we score for physics & astronomy, a standout program at 95 out of 100. Graduates in the major earn a median $119,000 four years out, 1.55× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $119 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.
Nearby in the physics & astronomy ranking
Other strong majors at Cornell
- Computer science 98 · #2
- Math & statistics 96 · #8
- Biology 95 · #3
- Engineering (all) 95 · #10
- Economics 93 · #22
- Political science & IR 93 · #13
How the score works
The score is out of 100 and compares Cornell with every school we score in physics & astronomy. It weighs the school's overall strength; how many students graduate in the major and what share of the class they are; research spending in the field (NSF); early pay against the same major nationally; how many courses the catalog lists; and test scores. 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.