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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

7 Ranked Colleges
168 Degrees Awarded
$8,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region 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. 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 Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Astronomy & Astrophysics is the 222nd most popular major in the country with 1,268 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, astronomy and astrophysics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $27,700 and had an average of $21,346 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 238 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $14,817 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 168 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 7 colleges that offered a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent astronomy and astrophysics programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the astronomy and astrophysics program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools

The astronomy 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 “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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.

Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 7 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#1 in overall quality

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 Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of Technology is $5,456 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Caltech

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 19 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $8,553 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Los Angeles

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW Seattle has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $7,850 for far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,392 for far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Berkeley

#5

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 3 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $8,870 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at SDSU

#6

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#4 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 28 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $10,872 for far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The 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 University of California - Santa Cruz Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#7 in overall quality

University of Hawaii at Manoa came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, this fairly large public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

UH Manoa also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for UH Manoa is $10,986 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Astronomy & Astrophysics at UH Manoa

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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

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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