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2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

11 Ranked Colleges
141 Degrees Awarded
$16,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 in the Southwest 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 Southwest region, there were 141 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $25,179 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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 in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

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

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

#1

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 57 ’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $11,466 for southwest region 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.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Arizona

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #2 spot on the list. ASU - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

ASU - Tempe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,921 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend ASU - Tempe.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at ASU - Tempe

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Texas A&M University - College Station is located in College Station, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

Texas A&M College Station did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $13,270 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Texas A&M College Station.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Texas A&M University - College Station

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. The University of Texas at Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $13,575 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UT Austin

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, this fairly large public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

NMSU Main Campus also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $7,006 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend NMSU Main Campus.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at New Mexico State University - Main Campus

#6

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. NAU is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

NAU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $9,799 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend NAU.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Northern Arizona University

With a ranking of #7, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Oklahoma is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Oklahoma, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $17,285 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Oklahoma

#8

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

With a ranking of #8, University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UNM is a large public school situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It awarded 5 ’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNM, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $14,458 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full UNM Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#9

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, Texas

Texas Christian University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. TCU is located in Fort Worth, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at TCU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas Christian University is $23,246 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Texas Christian University Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#10

Baylor University

Waco, Texas

Baylor University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Baylor is a fairly large school located in Waco, Texas that handed out 3 ’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Baylor, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $29,849 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Baylor University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Baylor

With a ranking of #11, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Prescott, Arizona, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

Embry-Riddle Prescott also took the #4 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Embry-Riddle Prescott is $32,661 for southwest region 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%.

Full Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

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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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