2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 1,268 people earned their degree in astronomy and astrophysics, making the major the 222nd most popular in the United States. 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 Pennsylvania, there were 26 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 26 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 2 colleges that offered a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality astronomy and astrophysics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the astronomy and 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.

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 Pennsylvania 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. 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 Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 2 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

#1

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

#1 in overall quality

$12,542 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carnegie Mellon University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Carnegie Mellon University is a fairly large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 2 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon is $12,542 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. 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.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Carnegie Mellon

#2

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

#2 in overall quality

$20,075 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this large public school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

Pitt also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is $20,075 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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.

Full Pitt Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k)

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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