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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k)

20 Ranked Colleges
294 Degrees Awarded
$10,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Astrophysics is the 671st most popular major in the country with 383 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 294 astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 20 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in astrophysics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality astrophysics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the astrophysics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 20 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k)

#1

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Caltech is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 6 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Caltech is $5,456 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California Institute of Technology Astrophysics Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 40 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astrophysical sciences students in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $4,367 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Astrophysics at UW - Madison

#3

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Princeton University landed the #3 spot on the list. Princeton University is a medium-sized school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 12 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Princeton, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Princeton University is $1,386 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Princeton Astrophysics Report

#4

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts
#13 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Williams College landed the #4 spot on the list. Williamstown, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

Williams did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Williams College is $2,498 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Astrophysics at Williams College

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #5 spot on the list. Columbia is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 10 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also took the #1 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $8,916 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Read full report on Astrophysics at Columbia University in the City of New York

#6

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMN Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,266 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.

Read full report on Astrophysics at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#7

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#7 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $8,553 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Astrophysics Report

#8

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#12 in overall quality

Michigan State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also took the #12 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,686 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Michigan State Astrophysics Report

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 50 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $8,392 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Astrophysics at University of California - Berkeley

#10

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts
#8 in overall quality

Wellesley College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wellesley is located in Wellesley, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.

Wellesley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Wellesley College is $8,785 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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 93%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Astrophysics at Wellesley College

#11

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#14 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $10,872 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz

#12

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

Carnegie Mellon University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astrophysical sciences students in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon also took the #4 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon is $12,542 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Astrophysics at Carnegie Mellon University

#13

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, Hawaii
#18 in overall quality

University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Honolulu, Hawaii is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

UH Manoa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,986 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astrophysics at University of Hawaii at Manoa

#14

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey
#10 in overall quality

Rutgers University - New Brunswick came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Rutgers New Brunswick is a large public school situated in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It awarded 13 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Rutgers New Brunswick not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $13,545 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Rutgers New Brunswick.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Rutgers University - New Brunswick Astrophysics Report

#16 in overall quality

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC also took the #16 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is $15,078 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Astrophysics Report

#11 in overall quality

Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Tech is $17,222 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.

Read more about Astrophysics at Illinois Institute of Technology

#17 in overall quality

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Oklahoma is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 9 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Oklahoma not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $16,675 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Oklahoma.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.

Read more about Astrophysics at University of Oklahoma

#18

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico
#20 in overall quality

University of New Mexico - Main Campus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.

UNM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $13,242 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Astrophysics at UNM

#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. OHIO Athens is located in Athens, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.

OHIO Athens also took the #19 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,584 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend OHIO Athens.

Read full report on Astrophysics at Ohio University - Athens Campus

#20

Baylor University

Waco, Texas
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, Baylor University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Waco, Texas, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Baylor also made our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $26,726 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Baylor.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astrophysics at Baylor University

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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