2023 Best Value Colleges for Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
4
Ranked Colleges
195
Degrees Awarded
$11,000
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 460 people earned their degree in astrophysics, making the major the 598th most popular in the United States.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 195 astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in astrophysics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great astrophysics programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the astrophysics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. 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 in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. 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.
Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region astrophysical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. California Institute of Technology is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $12,190 for Far Western US Region Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Caltech.
The impressive undergraduate 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Astrophysics at California Institute of Technology
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 61 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Astrophysics Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $9,999 for Far Western US Region Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.
Read more about Astrophysics at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 32 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also made our “Best Astrophysics Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $9,891 for far western us region astrophysical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 undergraduate students.
Read full report on Astrophysics at UCLA
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 65 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz also took the #4 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $12,049 for Far Western US Region Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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 University of California - Santa Cruz
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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
- *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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