2023 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
9
Ranked Colleges
173
Degrees Awarded
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Astronomy is the 479th most popular major in the country with 765 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
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 $48-$75k” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in astronomy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality astronomy programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the astronomy program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Astronomy Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy (Income $48-$75k) 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 $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 8 degrees to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also made our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $5,849 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Northwestern University Astronomy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $8,375 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Astronomy at UChicago
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #3 spot on the list. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $10,481 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend U-M.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Astronomy Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 27 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $11,505 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Astronomy Report
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 40 degrees to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.
Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,273 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ohio State.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 University - Main Campus
Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school awarded 13 degrees to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington also took the #7 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $12,369 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 full report on Astronomy at IU Bloomington
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomical sciences degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $10,364 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy at University of Wisconsin - Madison
With a ranking of #8, Wayne State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Detroit, Michigan, and it awarded 5 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, Wayne State has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,612 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Wayne State.
Read more about Astronomy at Wayne State
Valparaiso University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. 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.
Valpo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Valparaiso University is $21,256 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Astronomy at Valpo
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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.
college factual
