2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astrophysics
14
Ranked Colleges
52
Degrees Awarded
$34,200
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 460 people earned their degree in astrophysics, making the major the 598th most popular in the United States.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 52 astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in astrophysics. That schools that top this list have a program in astrophysics in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The astrophysical 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 “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major”.
Top 14 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astrophysics
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Astrophysics at Caltech
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major. Princeton, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astrophysics at Princeton
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rochester Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. RIT is located in Rochester, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
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 RIT
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #4 spot on the list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Harvard University Astrophysics Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanderbilt University landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, 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 96%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Astrophysics at Vanderbilt University
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #6. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. 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 full report on Astrophysics at UC Berkeley
With a ranking of #7, Texas Christian University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. TCU is located in Fort Worth, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Full TCU Astrophysics Report
University of Colorado Boulder came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking. University of Colorado Boulder is a large public school situated in Boulder, Colorado. It awarded 3 doctorate’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Astrophysics at University of Colorado Boulder
Michigan State University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Astrophysics at Michigan State
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified doctorate’s astrophysical sciences students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astrophysics at Arizona State University - Tempe
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #11. UMN Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Astrophysics at UMN Twin Cities
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Full IU Bloomington Astrophysics Report
University of Alaska Fairbanks came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking. Located in Fairbanks, Alaska, this medium-sized public school handed out 0 degrees to qualified doctorate’s astrophysical sciences students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Astrophysics at University of Alaska Fairbanks
Iowa State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking. Iowa State University is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astrophysics at Iowa State University
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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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