2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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

Across Illinois, there were 50 astronomy graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

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 Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois astronomical sciences students with aid.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy in Illinois (With Aid)

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$15,880 Average Net Price

$49,122 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 38 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $15,880 for Illinois Astronomical Sciences students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Read full report on Astronomy at UIUC

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$24,664 Average Net Price

$68,272 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 4 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois astronomical sciences students with aid list, Northwestern has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Astronomy Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $24,664 for Illinois Astronomical Sciences students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astronomy at Northwestern

#3

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$27,315 Average Net Price

$61,293 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $27,315 for Illinois Astronomical Sciences students with aid.

The 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. The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Chicago Astronomy Report

• Best Value Colleges for Astronomy in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Colleges for Astronomy (With Aid)

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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