by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 765 people earned their degree in astronomy, making the major the 479th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major” ranking looked at 107 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in astronomy. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their astronomy program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Monterey Peninsula College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major. Located in Monterey, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lycoming College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major. Lycoming College is located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 107 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Wesleyan University landed the #3 spot on the list. Wesleyan University is a small school located in Middletown, Connecticut that handed out 9 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Vassar College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major. Located in Poughkeepsie, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 degrees to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 107 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Amherst College landed the #5 spot on the list. Amherst College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 3 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
With a ranking of #6, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. University of Colorado Boulder is a public institution located in Boulder, Colorado. The school has a large population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Mount Holyoke College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. Mount Holyoke College is a small school located in South Hadley, Massachusetts that handed out 4 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Whitman College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. Walla Walla, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astronomical sciences degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Valparaiso University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #9. Valparaiso University is located in Valparaiso, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Hampshire College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. Hampshire College is a small school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 1 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Chicago landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 28 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
University of Hawaii at Hilo did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Hilo, Hawaii, this small public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.
SUNY New Paltz did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #13. This medium-sized school is located in New Paltz, New York, and it awarded 9 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Bennington College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Bennington, Vermont, and it awarded 1 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #15. College Park, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomical sciences degrees to 45 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 51 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 93%.
Read more about Astronomy at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
University of Hawaii at Manoa ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. University of Hawaii at Manoa is a fairly large school located in Honolulu, Hawaii that handed out 13 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school awarded 25 degrees to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Stonehill College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #19. Easton, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astronomical sciences degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Haverford College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. Haverford is a small school located in Haverford, Pennsylvania that handed out 1 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
University of Arizona landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #22, Villanova University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Villanova, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astronomical sciences degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
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 96%.
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #23. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 40 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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
Smith College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Smith College is a small school located in Northampton, Massachusetts that handed out 2 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 ranking of #25, University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 20 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, 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 our data sources and methodologies
