2027 Best Value Astronomy Schools in Illinois
[Astronomy](/majors/physical-sciences/astronomy-and-astrophysics/astronomy/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
College Factual analyzed 2 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value astronomy schools.
What’s on this page:
2027 Best Value Astronomy Schools in Illinois
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in astronomy, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Astronomy Schools
University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earned the #1 spot for value among astronomy schools in Illinois. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $18,267, compared with $40,096 for out-of-state students. Astronomy graduates carry a median of $20,778 in student loans. Early-career astronomy graduates make about $57,461. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign admits about 42% of applicants.
University Of Chicago came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best value astronomy schools. University Of Chicago is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $69,324. Typical student debt for astronomy graduates is $15,854. Soon after graduation, astronomy degree recipients from University Of Chicago generally make around $81,002. That is a strong return on a $15,854 median debt. Roughly 4% of applicants are accepted.
View All Astronomy Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
