2023 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
12
Ranked Colleges
249
Degrees Awarded
$10,300
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 1,375 people earned their degree in astronomy and astrophysics, making the major the 219th most popular in the United States. 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 249 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $19,258 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered 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.
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
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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 14 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $917 for great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Northwestern University Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 28 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $4,777 for Great Lakes Region Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full UChicago Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 30 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $4,788 for Great Lakes Region Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #4 spot on the list. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 25 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $5,670 for Great Lakes Region Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 U-M Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UIUC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $8,036 for Great Lakes Region Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
With a ranking of #6, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 14 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $7,061 for Great Lakes Region Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at IU Bloomington
With a ranking of #7, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 41 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $8,581 for great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Ohio State.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Ohio State University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #8, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Michigan State is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 22 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State University is $15,170 for great lakes region 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Michigan State University Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Illinois Tech is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Illinois Tech has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Institute of Technology is $21,101 for Great Lakes Region Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 Illinois Tech
Valparaiso University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Valpo is a private not-for-profit institution located in Valparaiso, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Valpo, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Valpo is $19,717 for Great Lakes Region Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Valparaiso University
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