Best Physics Schools Near Passaic, NJ (2026)

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

Passaic, New Jersey has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs, with tuition ranging from $5,415 to $89,538 per year for indexed programs. Passaic has a population of about 69,651. Median household income is $56,780 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 16.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the top-earning physics-related role is Physicists at a median $181,970 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Physics Schools to Passaic

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

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ 3.7 miles from Passaic
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,415
Avg net price $15,566/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 114

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Newark, NJ 8.4 miles from Passaic
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 80%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $84,276
Avg net price $16,504/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Rutgers University-Newark

Newark, NJ 8.5 miles from Passaic
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
76.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $74,479
Avg net price $19,703/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Stevens Institute of Technology

Hoboken, NJ 9.5 miles from Passaic
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $108,772
Avg net price $41,346/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Saint Peter's University

Jersey City, NJ 9.5 miles from Passaic
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
62.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,815
Avg net price $12,199/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Seton Hall University

South Orange, NJ 10.1 miles from Passaic
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,196
Avg net price $31,446/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 91

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

New Jersey City University

Jersey City, NJ 10.4 miles from Passaic
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
49.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,745
Avg net price $16,053/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Mahwah, NJ 15.6 miles from Passaic
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
76.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,541
Avg net price $18,173/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Physics Wages Near Passaic

Passaic is part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (BLS area code 35620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New Jersey statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Physicists $181,970 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $161,607
Biochemists and Biophysicists $109,620 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $97,353
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary $104,690 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $92,975
Mathematicians $113,590 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $100,879
Atmospheric and Space Scientists $128,790 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $114,378
Engineers, All Other $135,300 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $120,160
Software Developers $166,830 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $148,162
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $100,800 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $89,520

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.

Passaic at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 69,651 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $56,780 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 16.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 112.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Passaic-Area Cities With Physics Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited physics schools are near Passaic, NJ?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs near Passaic. The closest is Montclair State University in Montclair, NJ (3.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Barnard College (9.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying physics roles near Passaic?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying physics-related roles near Passaic are: Physicists ($181,970), Software Developers ($166,830), Engineers, All Other ($135,300). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New Jersey statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Clifton instead of Passaic?

Clifton, NJ is 1.6 miles from Passaic 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 Passaic an affordable place to study physics?

Passaic’s median household income of $56,780 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Passaic while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New Jersey 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 Passaic

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

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 New Jersey: Online Programs (2026)