Best Physics Schools Near Asheville, NC (2026)

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

Asheville, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs. Asheville has a population of about 94,369. Median household income is $67,221 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 52.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In North Carolina, the top-earning physics-related role is Physicists at a median $174,180 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Physics Schools to Asheville

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

Asheville, NC 3.3 miles from Asheville
  • 4 year
46.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,030
Avg net price $12,250/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Physics Wages Near Asheville

Asheville is part of the Asheville, NC metro area (BLS area code 11700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Physicists $174,180 NC statewide $180,497
Biochemists and Biophysicists $82,220 NC statewide $85,202
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary $87,370 NC statewide $90,539
Mathematicians N/A NC statewide –
Atmospheric and Space Scientists $91,560 NC statewide $94,881
Engineers, All Other $105,840 Asheville, NC $109,679
Software Developers $134,350 Asheville, NC $139,223
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $59,320 Asheville, NC $61,472

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.

Asheville at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 94,369 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $67,221 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 52.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 96.5 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Asheville-Area Cities With Physics Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited physics schools are near Asheville, NC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs near Asheville. The closest is University of North Carolina Asheville in Asheville, NC (3.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is East Tennessee State University (51.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying physics roles near Asheville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying physics-related roles near Asheville are: Physicists ($174,180), Software Developers ($134,350), Engineers, All Other ($105,840). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Forest City instead of Asheville?

Forest City, NC is 41.8 miles from Asheville 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 Asheville an affordable place to study physics?

Asheville’s median household income of $67,221 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Asheville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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 Asheville

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

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 North Carolina: Online Programs (2026)