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2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

6 Ranked Colleges
25 Degrees Awarded
$34,600 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” 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 the Far Western US region, there were 238 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $14,817 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 25 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,342 and $136,270 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the astronomy and astrophysics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. 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 Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

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

Top 6 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech also took the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Caltech are $56,649.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Caltech

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131.

Full UCLA Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 4 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW Seattle are $30,294.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UW Seattle

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s astronomy degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UC Berkeley Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#5

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Santa Cruz

#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UH Manoa is a public institution located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UH Manoa also took the #6 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Hawaii at Manoa are $34,550, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UH Manoa

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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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