Laurel, Maryland has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs, with tuition ranging from $35,810 to $54,630 per year for indexed programs. Laurel has a population of about 29,594. Median household income is $94,063 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area, the top-earning physics-related role is Physicists at a median $171,580 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Physics Schools to Laurel
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer physics programs near Laurel, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Laurel 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Laurel.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,860
Avg net price
$15,678/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 96%
- Programs offered: 150
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$69,960
Avg net price
$16,467/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 92
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$87,555
Avg net price
$18,809/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 164
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
80%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,652
Avg net price
$30,574/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 53
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,390
Avg net price
$17,413/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 105
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$60,663
Avg net price
$21,916/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 78%
- Programs offered: 56
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$65,518
Avg net price
$27,898/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 27
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Maryland schools on the Maryland physics page.
Physics Wages Near Laurel
Laurel is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (BLS area code 47900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Maryland statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Physicists |
$171,580 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$157,557 |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists |
$103,660 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$95,188 |
| Physics Teachers, Postsecondary |
$95,430 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$87,631 |
| Mathematicians |
$164,470 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$151,028 |
| Atmospheric and Space Scientists |
$117,600 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$107,989 |
| Engineers, All Other |
$151,340 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$138,972 |
| Software Developers |
$154,930 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$142,268 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education |
$80,300 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$73,737 |
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.
Laurel at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
29,594 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$94,063 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
44.5% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
108.9 (above U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Laurel-Area Cities With Physics Programs
- Greenbelt, MD – 7.1 mi away (23,909 pop)
- College Park, MD – 7.8 mi away (32,275 pop)
- Bowie, MD – 11.5 mi away (58,393 pop)
- Washington, DC – 15.5 mi away (5,191,844 pop)
- Rockville, MD – 15.7 mi away (66,940 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited physics schools are near Laurel, MD?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs near Laurel. The closest is University of Maryland-College Park in College Park, MD (8.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is American University (16.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying physics roles near Laurel?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying physics-related roles near Laurel are: Physicists ($171,580), Mathematicians ($164,470), Software Developers ($154,930). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Maryland statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Greenbelt instead of Laurel?
Greenbelt, MD is 7.1 miles from Laurel 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 Laurel an affordable place to study physics?
Laurel’s median household income of $94,063 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Laurel while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Maryland 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
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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.
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