Introduction: Despite a reported understanding of basic radiation physics principles, students face barriers that hinder effective translation of this knowledge into clinical practice, potentially leading to suboptimal outcomes.The objectives of this cross-sectional descriptive research are to assess the level of radiation physics knowledge among clinical radiography students, evaluate their ability to apply this knowledge in clinical settings, identify barriers hindering successful application, and provide recommendations for improved integration. Material and method: The study was conducted among clinical students (4 ^th year and 5 ^th year) of the department of radiography and radiological sciences, University of Nigeria, Enugu campus, Enugu state. The study design was a cross-sectional descriptive study which enables to collect data at a specific point in time. The study population comprised of students who are currently in 4 ^th and 5 ^th year in the department of medical radiography and radiological sciences. The population has a total number of 500 students. All clinical radiography students who are willing to participate in this research were included in this research Results: Among 220 participants from the University of Nigeria’s Department of Radiography and Radiological Sciences, 81.4% expressed thorough teaching of radiation physics during pre-clinical training, while 68.3% reported an excellent understanding. However, 64.3% cited disinterest due to perceived complexity, 42.0% noted a gap between theoretical teaching and practical application, and 84.6% mentioned a lack of fear of radiation’s biological effects. Suggestions for improvement included a dedicated curriculum (90.0%), increased teaching duration (69.7%), expert involvement (95.10%), hands-on training (95.5%), interactive learning methods (93.2%), and collaborative training approaches (95.0%). Conclusion: This research underscores the importance of refining radiation physics education to bridge theory and practice effectively.