2023 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
9
Ranked Colleges
173
Degrees Awarded
$7,900
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 765 people earned their degree in astronomy, making the major the 479th most popular in the United States.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 173 astronomy graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 8 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $917 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergraduate 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. 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 Northwestern University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 28 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago also made our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $4,777 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Astronomy at University of Chicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 25 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M also made our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $5,670 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend U-M.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Astronomy Report
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #4 spot on the list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,036 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Astronomy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 4 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison also took the #6 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $4,788 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read more about Astronomy at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. IU Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington also took the #7 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $7,061 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy at Indiana University - Bloomington
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $8,581 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy at Ohio State
Valparaiso University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Valparaiso, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astronomical sciences degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, Valpo has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $19,717 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Valpo.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy at Valpo
Wayne State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Wayne State University is located in Detroit, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Wayne State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $11,414 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Wayne State University.
Full Wayne State University Astronomy Report
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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
- *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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