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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astrophysics (With Aid)

20 Ranked Colleges
294 Degrees Awarded
$20,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Getting Aid” 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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 20 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. 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 Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. 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 a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.

Top 20 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astrophysics (With Aid)

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 40 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students with aid list, UW - Madison has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $17,708 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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 95%.

Read full report on Astrophysics at UW - Madison

#2

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astrophysical sciences students in 2019-2020.

Princeton also made our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $11,317 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students with aid per year to attend Princeton University.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low 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%.

Read more about Astrophysics at Princeton

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Astrophysics at University of California - Los Angeles

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #4 spot on the list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

Columbia also made our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $23,306 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students with aid.

The low 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%. 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Astrophysics at Columbia

#5

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #5 spot on the list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $17,740 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students with aid per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astrophysics at UMN Twin Cities

#6

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#12 in overall quality

Michigan State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.

Michigan State also took the #12 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State University is $19,173 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read more about Astrophysics at Michigan State

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 50 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students with aid list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $15,329 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Astrophysics at University of California - Berkeley

#8

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Rutgers New Brunswick also took the #10 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rutgers New Brunswick is $21,654 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Astrophysics at Rutgers New Brunswick

#9

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#14 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #14 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $18,186 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz

#10

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#3 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Caltech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $24,274 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students with aid per year to attend California Institute of Technology.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Caltech Astrophysics Report

#11

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts
#8 in overall quality

Wellesley College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Wellesley, 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 2 students in 2019-2020.

Wellesley also took the #8 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wellesley is $22,087 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive 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.

Read more about Astrophysics at Wellesley College

#12

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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. UH Manoa is a fairly large school located in Honolulu, Hawaii that handed out 6 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UH Manoa also took the #18 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,030 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.

Read full report on Astrophysics at University of Hawaii at Manoa

#13

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Albuquerque, New Mexico is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

UNM also made our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $14,446 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students with aid per year to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus.

Read full report on Astrophysics at University of New Mexico - Main Campus

#14

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts
#13 in overall quality

Williams College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Williams is located in Williamstown, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.

Williams also made our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $19,480 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students with aid per year to attend Williams College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Astrophysics at Williams

#16 in overall quality

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $21,843 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students with aid per year to attend UC.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Full UC Astrophysics Report

#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 9 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students with aid list, University of Oklahoma has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $21,145 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Oklahoma.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astrophysics at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

#11 in overall quality

Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Illinois Institute of Technology is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Tech, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Tech is $22,831 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students with aid.

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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Astrophysics at Illinois Institute of Technology

#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. OHIO Athens is a large school located in Athens, Ohio that handed out 4 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

OHIO Athens also made our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio University - Athens Campus is $22,906 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students with aid.

Read full report on Astrophysics at OHIO Athens

#19

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon University is $34,508 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. 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 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 more about Astrophysics at Carnegie Mellon University

#20

Baylor University

Waco, Texas
#15 in overall quality

Baylor University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Waco, Texas, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Baylor not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Baylor University is $36,039 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Astrophysics at Baylor

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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