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

7 Ranked Colleges
86 Degrees Awarded
$18,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

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 the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” 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 the Southwest region, there were 141 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $25,179 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 86 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 7 colleges that offer 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

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

Top 7 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

#1

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Arizona. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $11,466 for southwest region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Arizona.

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 Arizona

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UT Austin has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $13,575 for southwest region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UT Austin

#3

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Arizona University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, this large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

NAU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Northern Arizona University is $9,799 for southwest region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at NAU

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Norman, Oklahoma, this large public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Oklahoma, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $17,285 for southwest region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#5

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. UNM is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UNM has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $14,458 for southwest region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UNM

#6

Baylor University

Waco, Texas
#4 in overall quality

Baylor University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Baylor is a fairly large school located in Waco, Texas that handed out 3 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Baylor also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Baylor is $29,849 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Full Baylor University Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#3 in overall quality

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Prescott, Arizona, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Embry-Riddle Prescott has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Embry-Riddle Prescott is $32,661 for southwest region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott

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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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