2024 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region
8Colleges in the Southwest Region
160Astronomy Degrees Awarded
$42,770Avg Early-Career Salary
Astronomy & Astrophysics is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #219 out of the 395 majors across the country that we analyze each year. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for astronomy & astrophysics students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 160 degrees in astronomy & astrophysics during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Your choice of astronomy & astrophysics school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Astronomy & Astrophysics School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Best Schools for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Southwest Region
The schools below may not offer all types of astronomy degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
The University of Texas at Austin is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.
There were roughly 39 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, astronomy degree recipients usually make around $42,770 in the first five years of their career.
It's difficult to beat University of Arizona if you want to pursue a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.
There were about 50 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent data year.
It's hard to beat Texas A&M University - College Station if you wish to pursue a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.
There were roughly 7 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year.
Baylor University is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Baylor is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Waco. A Best Colleges rank of #123 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.
There were about 4 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent year we have data available.
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 32 schools for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.
There were approximately 11 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent data year.
Located in the rural area of Prescott, Embry-Riddle Prescott is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 6th out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.
There were roughly 6 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at Embry-Riddle Prescott in the most recent data year.
ASU - Tempe is a very large public university located in the city of Tempe. A Best Colleges rank of #119 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.
There were approximately 4 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent year we have data available.
Located in the city of Flagstaff, NAU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 26 colleges for overall quality in the state of Arizona.
There were roughly 17 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at NAU in the most recent data year.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Your choice of astronomy & astrophysics school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Astronomy & Astrophysics School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
