Best Physics Schools Near Fort Collins, CO (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Fort Collins, Colorado has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs, with tuition ranging from $13,373 to $44,918 per year for indexed programs. Fort Collins has a population of about 169,705. Median household income is $83,598 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 59.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO metro area, the top-earning physics-related role is Software Developers at a median $133,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Physics Schools to Fort Collins

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer physics programs near Fort Collins, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Fort Collins city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Fort Collins. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Colorado State University-Fort Collins

Fort Collins, CO 2.0 miles from Fort Collins
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
69.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 89%
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,543
Avg net price $21,279/yr
Tuition
In‑state$13,373
Out‑of‑state$34,783
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 144

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Colorado schools on the Colorado physics page.

Physics Wages Near Fort Collins

Fort Collins is part of the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO metro area (BLS area code 22660). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Colorado statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Physicists $104,580 CO statewide $103,442
Biochemists and Biophysicists $84,490 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $83,571
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary $99,280 CO statewide $98,200
Mathematicians $86,020 CO statewide $85,084
Atmospheric and Space Scientists $110,960 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $109,753
Engineers, All Other $129,880 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $128,467
Software Developers $133,990 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $132,532
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $78,760 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $77,903

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Fort Collins at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 169,705 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $83,598 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 59.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 101.1 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Fort Collins-Area Cities With Physics Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited physics schools are near Fort Collins, CO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs near Fort Collins. The closest is Colorado State University-Fort Collins in Fort Collins, CO (2.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Regis University (52.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying physics roles near Fort Collins?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying physics-related roles near Fort Collins are: Software Developers ($133,990), Engineers, All Other ($129,880), Atmospheric and Space Scientists ($110,960). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Colorado statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Loveland instead of Fort Collins?

Loveland, CO is 9.1 miles from Fort Collins and has its own set of local physics programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Fort Collins an affordable place to study physics?

Fort Collins’s median household income of $83,598 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fort Collins while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Colorado public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Physics Programs

Other Programs Available in Fort Collins

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Fort Collins:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Physics Schools in Colorado: Online Programs (2026)