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# Best Biophysics Programs in the United States (2026)

Updated September 30, 2026

This page ranks the 141 Biophysics programs in the United States by median earnings of Biophysics graduates four years after completing. [University of California-Santa Barbara](/school/university-of-california-santa-barbara/majors/) leads the list at $90,694, followed closely by [Northeastern University](/school/northeastern-university/majors/) at $90,612.

Across the listed schools, the median earnings figure is $61,349, with a range from $90,694 to $14,627.

Public institutions account for 98 of the 141 programs, or 70%, while 43 are private nonprofits. University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. CUNY City College reports the lowest average net price on the list, at $3,776.

## The ranked list

Top 25 of 141 schools in list order

| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA | $90,694 | $16,109 | $9,231 | 33.0% |
|  | [University of California-Santa Barbara](/school/university-of-california-santa-barbara/majors/) ranks 1st on this list, with [median earnings of $90,694](/school/university-of-california-santa-barbara/outcomes/) for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing. |
| 2 | Northeastern University · Boston, MA | $90,612 | $30,915 | $2,264 | 5.2% |
|  | A private nonprofit university in Boston, [Northeastern University](/school/northeastern-university/majors/) posts an [admission rate of 5%](/school/northeastern-university/admissions/) and median earnings of $90,612 for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing. |
| 3 | University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA | $88,305 | $17,890 | $8,717 | 65.8% |
|  | [University of California-Santa Cruz](/school/university-of-california-santa-cruz/majors/) reports [median earnings of $88,305](/school/university-of-california-santa-cruz/outcomes/) for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $17,890. |
| 4 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus · Durham, NH | $87,075 | $23,805 | $16,523 | 88.2% |
|  | Graduates of [University of New Hampshire-Main Campus](/school/university-of-new-hampshire-main-campus/majors/) who borrowed left with a [median federal debt of $27,000](/school/university-of-new-hampshire-main-campus/cost/) among Biophysics completers, and the program ranks 4th on this list. |
| 5 | University of Massachusetts-Boston · Boston, MA | $85,296 | $17,707 | $14,070 | 83.8% |
|  | With an [admission rate of 84%](/school/university-of-massachusetts-boston/admissions/), [University of Massachusetts-Boston](/school/university-of-massachusetts-boston/majors/) reports median earnings of $85,296 for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing. |
| 6 | University of San Diego · San Diego, CA | $83,380 | $30,365 | $15,586 | 52.4% |
|  | [University of San Diego](/school/university-of-san-diego/majors/) ranks 6th on this list and posts an [average net price of $30,365](/school/university-of-san-diego/cost/). |
| 7 | University of Kansas · Lawrence, KS | $81,568 | $18,059 | $12,544 | 93.5% |
|  | Reporting a cohort of 79 graduates in the earnings cohort, [University of Kansas](/school/university-of-kansas/majors/) shows [median earnings of $81,568](/school/university-of-kansas/outcomes/) for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing. |
| 8 | Montclair State University · Montclair, NJ | $81,519 | $15,566 | $10,880 | 87.9% |
|  | [Montclair State University](/school/montclair-state-university/majors/) ranks 8th on this list and holds an [Azimuth composite rank of 56th](/school/montclair-state-university/) among nonprofit four-year institutions. |
| 9 | University of Vermont · Burlington, VT | $80,593 | $19,343 | $11,127 | 65.3% |
|  | [University of Vermont](/school/university-of-vermont/majors/) reports [median earnings of $80,593](/school/university-of-vermont/outcomes/) for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing, alongside a median federal debt of $19,500 among Biophysics completers who borrowed. |
| 10 | University of Maryland-College Park · College Park, MD | $80,470 | $15,678 | $2,962 | 44.8% |
|  | Posting an [average net price of $2,962](/school/university-of-maryland-college-park/cost/) for families earning under $30,000, [University of Maryland-College Park](/school/university-of-maryland-college-park/majors/) ranks 10th on this list. |
| 11 | Temple University · Philadelphia, PA | $80,364 | $28,198 | $22,694 | 80.4% |
|  | [Temple University](/school/temple-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $80,364](/school/temple-university/outcomes/) for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing, with an admission rate of 80%. |
| 12 | California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA | $79,820 | $10,440 | $7,183 | 46.3% |
|  | [California State University-Long Beach](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/majors/) ranks 12th on this list and shows a [median federal debt of $11,000](/school/california-state-university-long-beach/cost/) among Biophysics completers who borrowed. |
| 13 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick · New Brunswick, NJ | $79,510 | $24,406 | $16,343 | 58.2% |
|  | [Rutgers University-New Brunswick](/school/rutgers-university-new-brunswick/majors/) reports [$79,510 in median earnings](/school/rutgers-university-new-brunswick/outcomes/) for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing, with 52 graduates in the earnings cohort. |
| 14 | Indiana University-Bloomington · Bloomington, IN | $78,721 | $16,264 | $6,324 | 78.2% |
|  | An [average net price of $6,324](/school/indiana-university-bloomington/cost/) for families earning under $30,000 coincides with [Indiana University-Bloomington](/school/indiana-university-bloomington/majors/)'s 14th position on this list. |
| 15 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $78,097 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
|  | [California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo](/school/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo/majors/) [admits 31% of applicants](/school/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo/admissions/) and posts median earnings of $78,097 for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing. |
| 16 | California State University-East Bay · Hayward, CA | $77,863 | $9,320 | $6,360 | 97.4% |
|  | Graduates across all fields who borrowed left [California State University-East Bay](/school/california-state-university-east-bay/majors/) with a [median of $16,544](/school/california-state-university-east-bay/outcomes/) in federal loans, and the school ranks 67th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. |
| 17 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst · Amherst, MA | $77,853 | $22,383 | $10,164 | 59.7% |
|  | [University of Massachusetts-Amherst](/school/university-of-massachusetts-amherst/majors/) ranks 17th on this list, with [median earnings of $77,853](/school/university-of-massachusetts-amherst/outcomes/) for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing. |
| 18 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · University Park, PA | $77,336 | $32,875 | $19,845 | 60.6% |
|  | A [median federal debt of $25,750](/school/pennsylvania-state-university-main-campus/cost/) among Biophysics completers who borrowed sits alongside an average net price of $32,875 at [Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus](/school/pennsylvania-state-university-main-campus/majors/). |
| 19 | Western Washington University · Bellingham, WA | $77,048 | $21,193 | $12,915 | 93.3% |
|  | [Western Washington University](/school/western-washington-university/majors/) reports [$77,048 in median earnings](/school/western-washington-university/outcomes/) for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing, with 29 graduates in the earnings cohort. |
| 20 | San Francisco State University · San Francisco, CA | $76,134 | $12,278 | $9,341 | 96.4% |
|  | An [average net price of $9,341](/school/san-francisco-state-university/cost/) for families earning under $30,000 coincides with [San Francisco State University](/school/san-francisco-state-university/majors/)'s 20th position on this list. |
| 21 | Portland State University · Portland, OR | $75,765 | $9,552 | $7,655 | 90.9% |
|  | [Portland State University](/school/portland-state-university/majors/) [admits 91% of applicants](/school/portland-state-university/admissions/) and posts median earnings of $75,765 for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing. |
| 22 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County · Baltimore, MD | $75,493 | $16,467 | $5,087 | 72.4% |
|  | [University of Maryland-Baltimore County](/school/university-of-maryland-baltimore-county/majors/) ranks 22nd on this list, with [median earnings of $75,493](/school/university-of-maryland-baltimore-county/outcomes/) for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing. |
| 23 | Boston College · Chestnut Hill, MA | $75,274 | $41,704 | $4,284 | 16.4% |
|  | A [median federal debt of $19,000](/school/boston-college/cost/) among Biophysics completers who borrowed sits alongside an average net price of $41,704 at [Boston College](/school/boston-college/majors/). |
| 24 | University of Delaware · Newark, DE | $74,190 | $17,799 | $10,901 | 70.6% |
|  | [University of Delaware](/school/university-of-delaware/majors/) reports [$74,190 in median earnings](/school/university-of-delaware/outcomes/) for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing, with 19 graduates in the earnings cohort. |
| 25 | Stevenson University · Owings Mills, MD | $73,584 | $26,505 | $15,894 | 78.9% |
|  | Stevenson University, a private nonprofit university in Owings Mills, reports median earnings of $73,584 for its Biophysics graduates four years after completing, alongside a median federal debt of $27,000 among Biophysics completers who borrowed. |

Continue by region[Top Biophysics Programs in the Midwest by Earnings](/rankings/best-biophysics-programs-in-the-midwest/)[Best Biophysics Programs in the Northeast](/rankings/best-biophysics-programs-in-the-northeast/)[Best Biophysics Programs in the South](/rankings/best-biophysics-programs-in-the-south/)[Best Biophysics Programs in the West](/rankings/best-biophysics-programs-in-the-west/)

## How this list is ordered

Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Biophysics graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the United States appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 39 of the 141 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or the characteristics of who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. Listed earnings range from $14,627 to $90,694, with a median of $61,349 across the page. The gap between University of California-Santa Barbara and Northeastern University is just $82.

## Related rankings

-   Biological Sciences Colleges
-   Biological Sciences Colleges for Social Mobility