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

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Rocky Mountains region, there were 108 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,700 and $19,530 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 81 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,111 and $23,874 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k” 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.

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#1

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming

#2 in overall quality

$9,200 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wyoming landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Wyoming is a fairly large public school situated in Laramie, Wyoming. It awarded 11 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UW has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW is $9,200 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UW

#2

University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, Colorado

#1 in overall quality

$14,361 Average Net Price

$42,123 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Colorado Boulder. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Colorado Boulder is a large public school situated in Boulder, Colorado. It awarded 64 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

CU - Boulder not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $14,361 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Colorado Boulder.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Colorado Boulder

#3

Brigham Young University - Provo

Provo, Utah

#3 in overall quality

$10,425 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Provo, Utah, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

BYU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Brigham Young University - Provo is $10,425 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Brigham Young University - Provo Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

• 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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