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2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

5 Ranked Colleges
252 Degrees Awarded
$10,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Astronomy & Astrophysics is the 219th most popular major in the country with 1,375 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 California, there were 252 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $19,734 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great astronomy and astrophysics programs and 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. 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 in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k) in California

1

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 in California For Those Making $30-$48k. California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Caltech also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend California Institute of Technology is $12,190 for California Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California Institute of Technology Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 65 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also took the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,999 for California Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Berkeley

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 43 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.

UCLA also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,891 for California Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UCLA Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

4

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 76 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $12,049 for california astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz

5
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 15 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $9,274 for california astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at San Diego State University

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