Best Physics Schools Near Cedar Falls, IA (2026)

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

Cedar Falls, Iowa has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs, with tuition ranging from $9,936 to $22,278 per year for indexed programs. Cedar Falls has a population of about 40,662. Median household income is $74,165 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 49.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Iowa, the top-earning physics-related role is Physicists at a median $178,110 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Physics Schools to Cedar Falls

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer physics programs near Cedar Falls, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Cedar Falls 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 Cedar Falls. 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

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA 0.5 miles from Cedar Falls
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
68.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,177
Avg net price $15,901/yr
Tuition
In‑state$9,936
Out‑of‑state$21,712
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 116

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Physics Wages Near Cedar Falls

Cedar Falls is part of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area (BLS area code 47940). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Iowa statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Physicists $178,110 IA statewide $204,489
Biochemists and Biophysicists $101,090 IA statewide $116,062
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary $104,270 IA statewide $119,713
Mathematicians N/A IA statewide –
Atmospheric and Space Scientists $76,850 IA statewide $88,232
Engineers, All Other $96,440 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA $110,723
Software Developers $113,970 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA $130,850
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $60,440 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA $69,392

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.

Cedar Falls at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 40,662 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $74,165 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 49.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 87.1 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Cedar Falls-Area Cities With Physics Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited physics schools are near Cedar Falls, IA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs near Cedar Falls. The closest is University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA (0.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Luther College (63.9 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying physics roles near Cedar Falls?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying physics-related roles near Cedar Falls are: Physicists ($178,110), Software Developers ($113,970), Physics Teachers, Postsecondary ($104,270). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Iowa statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Waterloo instead of Cedar Falls?

Waterloo, IA is 5.5 miles from Cedar Falls 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 Cedar Falls an affordable place to study physics?

Cedar Falls’s median household income of $74,165 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cedar Falls while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Iowa 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 Cedar Falls

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Cedar Falls:

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 Iowa: Online Programs (2026)