Ithaca, New York · Private Non-Profit
Physics at Cornell University
Use this school-and-field page as a fit screen, not a department ranking. It combines the 1.2% reported program-share signal, $28,690 school-wide net price, and $104,043 school-wide ten-year earnings before you compare peer schools. The enrollment proxy is about 197 students when that share is applied to current enrollment.
Program snapshot
1.2% reported share makes this a focused program signal in federal data.
This major
- Program signal
- 1.2%
- Enrollment proxy
- ~197
- Schools with reported signal
- 785
Admissions
- Acceptance rate (school)
- 8.8%
- Graduation rate
- 95.4%
Cost
- Avg net price (school)
- $28,690/yr
- 4-year cost (est.)
- $114,760
- Median debt
- $14,000
Outcomes
- Median earnings 10y
- $104,043/yr
- ROI grade (school)
- B
College Scorecard reports school-wide earnings and price, not per-major outcomes for individual colleges. Program share is a concentration signal, not a promise of department quality. Use it as a proxy, then verify department-level outcomes with the school.
Evidence used here: federal program-share data (1.2%), school-wide average net price ($28,690), school-wide ten-year median earnings ($104,043), and peer averages from 785 schools reporting a positive signal in this field. Evidence not included: department-level salary, placement rate, course quality, licensure eligibility, certification, or exam pass-rate outcomes.
Value among peer schools
Compared with 785 schools that report this field.
The answer is a value-screen grade of B, not a verified department verdict. The reported share is 1.8x the national average concentration; the school-wide net price is higher than the peer average ($8,863 above), and ten-year median earnings are higher than the peer average ($43,448 above). Together, those evidence points place Cornell University in the top 35% ROI position within this field set.
See the national program hub →Comparable programs
Peer schools below also report a positive program-share signal and are sorted by value grade.
College of San Mateo San Mateo, CA · 1.2% reported share · $536 net A+ Skyline College San Bruno, CA · 1.1% reported share · $1,738 net A+ Imperial Valley College Imperial, CA · 0.3% reported share · $1,115 net A+ 
Irvine Valley College Irvine, CA · 1.6% reported share · $2,090 net A+ 
Hartnell College Salinas, CA · 0.9% reported share · $2,039 net A+ CUNY Hunter College New York, NY · 0.3% reported share · $2,984 net A+ Santiago Canyon College Orange, CA · 0.6% reported share · $2,129 net A+ Questions about this program
How big is the program signal?
Physics accounts for 1.2% of reported programs at Cornell University, which is bigger than 83% of schools in this field set and 1.8x the national average concentration. The enrollment proxy is about 197 students when that share is applied to current enrollment.
How should I read the cost number?
Cornell University's average net price is $28,690 per year, about $114,760 over four years. That is $8,863 above the $19,827 peer average, before your own aid package changes the final bill.
Are the earnings major-specific?
No. The $104,043 median earnings figure is school-wide ten years after entry. It is $43,448 above the $60,595 average among schools reporting this field, so treat it as an outcomes proxy rather than a department guarantee.
What should I compare next?
Start with program share, net price after aid, graduation rate, location, and whether the department publishes placement or licensure outcomes. EduGradify ranks Cornell University #277 of 785 schools in this field set by school-wide ROI proxy.