How much debt do Texas A&M physics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $17,522, which ranks the lowest of 6 physics bachelor's programs in Texas. That works out to about $186 a month over 10 years.

Is a physics degree from Texas A&M worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 33% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 49%.

Do Texas A&M physics graduates stay in Texas?

Most do. 80% (20 of 25) were working in Texas one year after graduating.

Texas A&M Physics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Physics
Public university
College Station, TX
About 46 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Texas A&M physics graduates earn about what physics graduates earn nationally, $53,329 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $17,522 in federal loans, less than at 85% of physics programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying physics degrees in Texas.

First-year earnings$53,32964th percentile of 67 programs nationally

Median federal debt$17,522The lowest of 6 Texas programs

Debt-to-earnings33%Texas median 56%, national 49%

How it compares

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

	Texas A&M	Texas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$53,329	$39,285	$48,374
Median federal debt at graduation	$17,522	$23,500	$23,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	33%	56%	49%
Programs compared		6	67

Debt and first-year pay at every Texas physics program

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

Texas A&MOther Texas programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $186 a month, or 4.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

80% of graduates (20 of 25) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the College Station area are about 9% below the national average, so a $53,329 salary here buys what about $58,635 buys in a typical US city.

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

$63,590

Median pay in Texas. 111,660 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $50,410Top 10%: $78,020

Natural Sciences Managers

$129,960

Median pay in Texas. 7,470 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $74,200Top 10%: $213,280

Physicists

$184,040

Median pay in Texas. 580 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $69,960Top 10%: $289,950

About Texas A&M

In-state tuition and fees	$13,154 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$40,124 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,315 / year
Admission rate	57%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	84%
Undergraduate students	59,615

Physics ranks 32nd of 76 bachelor's programs at Texas A&M by first-year earnings. The top three are Marine Transportation ($87,444), Computer Engineering ($86,366), and Chemical Engineering ($86,176).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $53,329 one year after graduating. The median across physics bachelor's programs in Texas is $39,285.

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 Texas 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 Texas, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Physics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked67 programs by pay and debt All Texas A&M programs, ranked76 programs by pay and debt