2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Plains States 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 in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 1,375 people earned their degree in astronomy and astrophysics, making the major the 219th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, astronomy and astrophysics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,221 and had an average of $24,484 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 44 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $27,000 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, Minnesota

#1 in overall quality

$7,698 Average Net Price

$50,445 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $7,698 for Plains States Region Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad 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 Minnesota - Twin Cities

2

University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$13,554 Average Net Price

$50,430 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Iowa is $13,554 for Plains States Region Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.

Full University of Iowa Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

3

University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

#3 in overall quality

$15,666 Average Net Price

$50,693 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Kansas. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Lawrence, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k list, KU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Kansas is $15,666 for Plains States Region Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full KU Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

• Best Value 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.