Best Physics Schools Near Lake Charles, LA (2026)

Lake Charles, Louisiana has 2 accredited schools offering physics programs. Lake Charles has a population of about 81,679. Median household income is $56,864 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Louisiana, the top-earning physics-related role is Physicists at a median $166,240 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Physics Schools to Lake Charles

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer physics programs near Lake Charles, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

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#1

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Lafayette, LA 71.3 miles from Lake Charles
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,089
Avg net price $13,530/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 76

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

Baton Rouge, LA 122.3 miles from Lake Charles
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,251
Avg net price $19,151/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 122

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Louisiana Tech University

Ruston, LA 164.1 miles from Lake Charles
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,279
Avg net price $11,864/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Southeastern Louisiana University

Hammond, LA 165.1 miles from Lake Charles
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,482
Avg net price $13,154/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Tulane University of Louisiana

New Orleans, LA 185.8 miles from Lake Charles
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,268
Avg net price $39,949/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 124

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Xavier University of Louisiana

New Orleans, LA 186.5 miles from Lake Charles
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
48.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 69%
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,184
Avg net price $17,127/yr
Tuition
In‑state$28,733
Out‑of‑state$28,733
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

University of New Orleans

New Orleans, LA 188.5 miles from Lake Charles
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,872
Avg net price $12,384/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 63

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Dillard University

New Orleans, LA 188.9 miles from Lake Charles
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
36.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,196
Avg net price $22,094/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 21

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Physics Wages Near Lake Charles

Lake Charles is part of the Lake Charles, LA metro area (BLS area code 29340). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Louisiana statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Physicists $166,240 LA statewide $193,527
Biochemists and Biophysicists N/A LA statewide
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary $90,040 LA statewide $104,820
Mathematicians N/A LA statewide
Atmospheric and Space Scientists $97,470 LA statewide $113,469
Engineers, All Other $94,810 Lake Charles, LA $110,373
Software Developers $120,940 Lake Charles, LA $140,792
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $52,140 Lake Charles, LA $60,698

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.


Lake Charles at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 81,679 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $56,864 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 29.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 85.9 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Lake Charles-Area Cities With Physics Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited physics schools are near Lake Charles, LA?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering physics programs near Lake Charles. The closest is Lamar University in Beaumont, TX (52.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Louisiana at Lafayette (71.3 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying physics roles near Lake Charles?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying physics-related roles near Lake Charles are: Physicists ($166,240), Software Developers ($120,940), Atmospheric and Space Scientists ($97,470). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Louisiana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Sulphur instead of Lake Charles?

Sulphur, LA is 8.6 miles from Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles an affordable place to study physics?

Lake Charles’s median household income of $56,864 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lake Charles while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Louisiana 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 Lake Charles

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Lake Charles:

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.