2023 Best Value Colleges for Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k)
17
Ranked Colleges
460
Degrees Awarded
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 460 people earned their degree in astrophysics, making the major the 598th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in astrophysics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great astrophysics programs and cost less that 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 17 Best Value Colleges for Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. California Institute of Technology is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 17 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Caltech also made our “Best Astrophysics Schools” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $9,755 for astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California Institute of Technology.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Astrophysics at California Institute of Technology
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Williams College landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and it awarded 5 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Williams did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Astrophysics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Williams College is $5,576 for Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate 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.
Full Williams Astrophysics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UC 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Astrophysics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $13,423 for Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UC Berkeley Astrophysics Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 32 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCLA has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Astrophysics Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,644 for astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 California - Los Angeles
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 26 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Astrophysics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $10,364 for astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full UW - Madison Astrophysics Report
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Astrophysics Schools” list. It costs about $12,911 for Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UMN Twin Cities Astrophysics Report
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 65 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Astrophysics Schools” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $15,567 for Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Santa Cruz Astrophysics Report
With a ranking of #8, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. CU - Boulder is located in Boulder, Colorado and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
CU - Boulder did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Astrophysics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for CU - Boulder is $18,204 for astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Astrophysics at University of Colorado Boulder
With a ranking of #9, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Arizona State University - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
ASU - Tempe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Astrophysics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for ASU - Tempe is $15,561 for Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
Full ASU - Tempe Astrophysics Report
Michigan State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Michigan State also took the #10 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Schools” ranking. It costs about $20,557 for astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Michigan State.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
Full Michigan State University Astrophysics Report
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 10 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Astrophysics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UC is $20,867 for Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Astrophysics at UC
Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
Illinois Tech also made our “Best Astrophysics Schools” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Institute of Technology is $22,339 for Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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
Rutgers University - New Brunswick came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, this large public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified ’s astrophysical sciences students in 2020-2021.
Rutgers New Brunswick did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Astrophysics Schools” list. It costs about $20,927 for astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Astrophysics at Rutgers University - New Brunswick
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Oklahoma is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Oklahoma, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $21,725 for Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad 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 Oklahoma Norman Campus
With a ranking of #15, Rochester Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. RIT is a fairly large school located in Rochester, New York that handed out 10 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
RIT also took the #9 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend RIT is $31,935 for astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astrophysics at Rochester Institute of Technology
Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a public institution located in Athens, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at OHIO Athens, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for OHIO Athens is $23,509 for astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Full Ohio University - Athens Campus Astrophysics Report
Baylor University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Waco, Texas, and it awarded 3 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Baylor also took the #12 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Schools” ranking. It costs about $31,907 for astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Baylor University.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full Baylor University Astrophysics Report
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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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