| Rank/School |
Average reputation score (5 = highest) |
| 1. California Institute of Technology |
5.0 |
| 1. Stanford University (CA) |
5.0 |
| 3. Harvard University (MA) |
4.9 |
| 3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
4.9 |
| 3. Princeton University (NJ) |
4.9 |
| 3. University of California–Berkeley |
4.9 |
| 7. Cornell University (NY) |
4.7 |
| 7. University of Chicago |
4.7 |
| 9. University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign |
4.5 |
| 10. Columbia University (NY) |
4.3 |
| 10. University of California–Santa Barbara |
4.3 |
| 10. Yale University (CT) |
4.3 |
| 13. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor |
4.1 |
| 14. University of California–Los Angeles |
4.0 |
| 14. University of Maryland–College Park |
4.0 |
| 14. University of Texas–Austin |
4.0 |
| 14. University of Washington |
4.0 |
| 18. University of California–San Diego |
3.9 |
| 18. University of Pennsylvania |
3.9 |
| 18. University of Wisconsin–Madison |
3.9 |
| 21. Johns Hopkins University (MD) |
3.8 |
| 21. Rutgers–New Brunswick (NJ) |
3.8 |
| 21. SUNY–Stony Brook |
3.8 |
| 24. University of Minnesota–Minneapolis |
3.7 |
| 25. Ohio State University |
3.6 |
| 25. Rice University (TX) |
3.6 |
| 25. University of Colorado–Boulder |
3.6 |
Physics - Ph.D. (2000)
2000 US News Survey
