2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $48-$75k” 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 Rocky Mountains region, there were 108 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,700 and $19,530 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 81 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,111 and $23,874 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 3 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.

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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $48-$75k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to 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 Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

#1

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming

#2 in overall quality

$11,491 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wyoming. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. UW is a fairly large public school situated in Laramie, Wyoming. It awarded 11 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW is $11,491 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UW

#2

Brigham Young University - Provo

Provo, Utah

#3 in overall quality

$12,466 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Provo. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. BYU is located in Provo, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at BYU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $12,466 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend BYU.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Brigham Young University - Provo

#3

University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, Colorado

#1 in overall quality

$18,979 Average Net Price

$42,123 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Colorado Boulder. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $48-$75k. CU - Boulder is a large public school situated in Boulder, Colorado. It awarded 64 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

CU - Boulder also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend CU - Boulder is $18,979 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Colorado Boulder

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k)

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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