Physics at Piedmont University

A debt-to-earnings ratio near 0.5 typically signals manageable repayment, but these figures come with significant uncertainty. Because this program graduates too few students for the Department of Education to publish outcomes, we're working with national benchmarks that suggest first-year earnings around $47,700 and debt near $23,100. Physics programs in Georgia show considerable variation—from $31,000 at Georgia State to over $62,000 at Georgia College—making it difficult to predict where Piedmont's graduates will land.

The challenge here isn't just the estimation. Piedmont's 1074 average SAT and 93% admission rate suggest a student body that may face steeper hurdles in competitive physics career markets compared to peer programs drawing stronger incoming credentials. Physics employers often screen by both degree pedigree and demonstrated quantitative ability, and comparable programs at less selective institutions sometimes see graduates struggle to access the higher-paying research positions or graduate school placements that make this major financially viable.

If your child is genuinely passionate about physics and has the academic chops for it, the estimated numbers aren't prohibitive. But given the uncertainty and the institution's profile, you'd want concrete evidence of placement outcomes—where recent graduates actually landed jobs or got into grad programs. Without that transparency from a program this small, you're betting on potential rather than proven results.