2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 Illinois, there were 62 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 44 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 3 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. 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 Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$2,800 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $2,800 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Chicago Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#2

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$8,464 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,464 for illinois bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UIUC

#3

Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$18,720 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois Institute of Technology. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also took the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,720 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Illinois Institute of Technology.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Illinois Institute of Technology

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k)

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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