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2022 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k) in Massachusetts

7 Ranked Colleges
117 Degrees Awarded
$7,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astronomy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Astronomy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 Massachusetts, there were 117 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $25,857 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in astronomy and astrophysics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great astronomy and astrophysics programs and 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Astronomy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k) in Massachusetts

#1

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

Harvard also took the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $2,973 for massachusetts astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Harvard University

#2

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MIT, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $4,535 for Massachusetts Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The 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 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at MIT

#3

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Williams College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Williams is a small school located in Williamstown, Massachusetts that handed out 6 ’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Williams has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Williams is $2,498 for massachusetts astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Williams

#4

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wellesley College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wellesley College is a small school located in Wellesley, Massachusetts that handed out 2 ’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wellesley, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wellesley College is $8,785 for Massachusetts Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Wellesley

#5

Smith College

Northampton, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Smith College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Smith College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Northampton, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Smith not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Smith College is $6,075 for massachusetts astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Smith College

#6

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Boston University is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

Boston U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Boston University is $12,903 for Massachusetts Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Boston U

#7

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts Amherst came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 21 ’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMass Amherst, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMass Amherst is $13,137 for massachusetts astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full UMass Amherst Astronomy & 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

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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