How much debt do RPI physics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,270, which ranks 2nd lowest of 5 physics bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $215 a month over 10 years.

Is a physics degree from RPI worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 34% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 49%.

RPI Physics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Physics
Private nonprofit school
Troy, NY
About 42 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

RPI physics graduates earn more than graduates of most physics programs nationally, $60,348 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $20,270 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,000. It is one of the higher-paying physics degrees in New York.

First-year earnings$60,34884th percentile of 67 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$111,81585% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,2702nd lowest of 5 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings34%New York median 49%, national 49%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The New York and national columns are the medians across all physics bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	RPI	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$60,348	$48,641	$48,374
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$111,815	$75,559	$80,500
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,270	$20,270	$23,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	34%	49%	49%
Programs compared		6	67

Five years out, RPI graduates earn more than the national figure and about $36,256 more than the New York median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York physics program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the New York medians.

RPIOther New York programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 85% between the first and fifth year.

RPI grads, year 1$60,348

RPI grads, year 5$111,815

All New York physics grads, year 5$75,559

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $215 a month, or 4.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (32 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	60–79%

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Albany area are about the same as the national average.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to physics, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$97,070

Median pay in New York. 70,660 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $60,070Top 10%: $136,450

Natural Sciences Managers

$134,680

Median pay in New York. 5,690 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $65,440Top 10%: $291,780

Physicists

$181,970

Median pay in New York. 1,140 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.

Bottom 10%: $80,000Top 10%: $292,950

About RPI

Tuition and fees	$64,081 / year
Average net price after aid	$36,228 / year
Admission rate	63%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	84%
Undergraduate students	5,714

Physics ranks 14th of 17 bachelor's programs at RPI by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($104,943), Computer Engineering Technology ($94,722), and Computer and Information Science ($85,172).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $60,348 one year after graduating and $111,815 five years after. The median across physics bachelor's programs in New York is $48,641.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of New York comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the physics program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Physics bachelor's programs in New York, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Physics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked67 programs by pay and debt All RPI programs, ranked17 programs by pay and debt