2024 Best Astronomy Schools in California

If you plan on majoring in astronomy, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #479 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual looked at 2 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Astronomy Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 51 degrees in astronomy during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

• Best Overall Astronomy Schools List

Astronomy Rankings by Degree Level

The astronomical sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Astronomy Schools in California. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Astronomy in California

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the astronomical sciences degree levels they offer.

Top California Schools in Astronomical Sciences

1

University of California - Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

36.4% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in astronomy has to take a look at University of California - Santa Cruz. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz.More information about a degree in astronomy from University of California - Santa Cruz

2

San Diego State University
San Diego, CA

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

60.0% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat San Diego State University if you wish to pursue a degree in astronomy. SDSU is a very large public university located in the city of San Diego.More information about a degree in astronomy from San Diego State University

Best Astronomy Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Astronomy Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Washington	831	53
Nevada	354	3
Hawaii	267	16

View All Rankings >

Astronomy Related Rankings by Major

One of 3 majors within the Astronomy & Astrophysics area of study, Astronomy has other similar majors worth exploring.

Most Popular Majors Related to Astronomical Sciences

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Astrophysics	175
Planetary Astronomy & Science	15
Other Astronomy & Astrophysics	11

View All Astronomical Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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.