Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy

37 Ranked Colleges
495 Degrees Awarded
$17,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 723 people earned their degree in astronomy, making the major the 498th most popular in the United States.

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

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 37 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality astronomy programs that also have a lower cost than 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy

Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Provo, Utah, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Provo is $13,322 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Astronomy at Brigham Young University - Provo

#2

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Georgia. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s. Athens, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

UGA also took the #11 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Georgia is $13,649 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Astronomy at UGA

#3

Valdosta State University

Valdosta, Georgia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Valdosta State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s. Valdosta State University is a fairly large school located in Valdosta, Georgia that handed out 2 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,969 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students per year to attend Valdosta State University.

Read full report on Astronomy at VSU

#4

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#18 in overall quality

Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #4 spot on the list. 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 $6,302 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.

Full University of Florida Astronomy Report

#5

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Arizona University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s. This large school is located in Flagstaff, Arizona, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for NAU is $12,915 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students.

Full NAU Astronomy Report

#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#23 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students list, SDSU has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,788 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full San Diego State University Astronomy Report

#7

SUNY New Paltz

New Paltz, New York

SUNY New Paltz ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. SUNY New Paltz is a public institution located in New Paltz, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,171 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students per year to attend SUNY New Paltz.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Astronomy at SUNY New Paltz

#8

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

With a ranking of #8, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. University of Kansas is a large school located in Lawrence, Kansas that handed out 1 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend KU is $18,918 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full KU Astronomy Report

#9

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, New York
#21 in overall quality

Stony Brook University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Stony Brook, New York, this large public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SUNY Stony Brook, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,160 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students per year to attend Stony Brook University.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Stony Brook University Astronomy Report

#10

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Central Michigan University is a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan is $15,981 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students.

Read more about Astronomy at Central Michigan

#11

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. Ball State University is a large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 1 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Ball State is $15,147 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students.

Full Ball State Astronomy Report

#13 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $17,616 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy at Ohio State

#7 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 34 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students list, UIUC has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students per year to attend UIUC.

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.

Full UIUC Astronomy Report

#14

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#8 in overall quality

University of Maryland - College Park came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. College Park, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

UMCP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMCP is $19,045 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students.

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%. 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 Maryland - College Park

#15

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, University of Arizona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s 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 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 $15,016 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Arizona Astronomy Report

With a ranking of #16, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is $27,938 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Pitt Astronomy Report

#17

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#20 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #17. IU Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at IU Bloomington, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $13,253 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read more about Astronomy at IU Bloomington

#18

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts
#16 in overall quality

University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, this large public school awarded 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.

UMass Amherst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $22,501 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students per year to attend UMass Amherst.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Astronomy at University of Massachusetts Amherst

#19

University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, Colorado
#10 in overall quality

University of Colorado Boulder ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Boulder, Colorado, this large public school awarded 64 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.

CU - Boulder did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $21,680 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students per year to attend University of Colorado Boulder.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Astronomy at University of Colorado Boulder

#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Prescott, Arizona, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.

Embry-Riddle Prescott also made our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #19. It costs about $35,396 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students per year to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott

#12 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 33 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.

UT Austin also made our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $18,023 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Astronomy Report

#22

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

With a ranking of #22, George Mason University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend GMU is $21,048 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full GMU Astronomy Report

#23

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Detroit, Michigan, this large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,965 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students per year to attend Wayne State.

Full Wayne State Astronomy Report

#24

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, Hawaii

University of Hawaii at Manoa came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UH 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 University of Hawaii at Manoa is $15,030 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students.

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%.

Read full report on Astronomy at UH Manoa

#24 in overall quality

University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #25. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students list, UW Seattle has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Astronomy at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

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.

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You