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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy (Income $0-$30k)

37 Ranked Colleges
495 Degrees Awarded
$8,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Astronomy is the 498th most popular major in the country with 723 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 495 astronomy graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 37 colleges that offered a degree in astronomy. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent astronomy programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the astronomy program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Astronomy Schools

The astronomical sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy (Income $0-$30k)

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $2,712 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Full University of Chicago Astronomy Report

#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, U-M has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $3,166 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Astronomy Report

#3

Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Dartmouth College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. This medium-sized school is located in Hanover, New Hampshire, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Dartmouth also made our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Dartmouth is $12,052 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Astronomy at Dartmouth College

#4

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#18 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Florida is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 21 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UF also made our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $1,994 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy at UF

#5

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts
#17 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Williams College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It awarded 2 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Williams did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $2,498 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Williams.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Full Williams Astronomy Report

#6

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#5 in overall quality

Cornell University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cornell is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.

Cornell also made our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $7,484 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cornell.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Astronomy at Cornell University

#7 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 34 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $5,477 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIUC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Astronomy at UIUC

#1 in overall quality

Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbia is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 3 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,916 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Astronomy at Columbia

#9

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#8 in overall quality

University of Maryland - College Park ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Maryland - College Park is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UMCP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $8,054 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMCP.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Astronomy at UMCP

#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school handed out 27 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $8,194 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Astronomy Report

#11

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#20 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 9 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $4,969 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full IU Bloomington Astronomy Report

#12

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Athens, Georgia, this large public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.

UGA also made our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend University of Georgia is $7,541 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Astronomy at UGA

#24 in overall quality

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,850 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW Seattle.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#14

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of Arizona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 26 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Arizona has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $10,562 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Arizona Astronomy Report

#15

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#23 in overall quality

San Diego State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 3 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also took the #23 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,870 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Diego State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astronomy at SDSU

#16

Smith College

Northampton, Massachusetts
#15 in overall quality

Smith College landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Smith is a private not-for-profit institution located in Northampton, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Smith did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Smith College is $6,075 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Astronomy at Smith College

#17

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
#6 in overall quality

Boston University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

Boston U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Boston University is $12,903 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Astronomy at Boston U

#18

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#9 in overall quality

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 16 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia is $8,882 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Astronomy at University of Virginia - Main Campus

#19

University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, Colorado
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Boulder, Colorado is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to 64 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CU - Boulder, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,366 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CU - Boulder.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full University of Colorado Boulder Astronomy Report

Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Brigham Young University - Provo is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,834 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend BYU.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy at BYU

#21

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts
#16 in overall quality

University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UMass Amherst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $13,137 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMass Amherst.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy at UMass Amherst

#22

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ball State University is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,403 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ball State.

Read full report on Astronomy at Ball State University

#12 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UT Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 33 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Austin has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,203 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Austin.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Astronomy Report

#24

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, New York
#21 in overall quality

Stony Brook University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SUNY Stony Brook is a public institution located in Stony Brook, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SUNY Stony Brook also took the #21 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,683 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SUNY Stony Brook.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Astronomy at SUNY Stony Brook

#25

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, Hawaii

University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. University of Hawaii at Manoa is located in Honolulu, Hawaii and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UH Manoa is $10,986 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UH Manoa Astronomy Report

Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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