2023 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
9
Ranked Colleges
284
Degrees Awarded
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 the Middle Atlantic region, there were 284 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,362 and $27,000 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality astronomy and astrophysics programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 in the Middle Atlantic 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. 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 Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johns Hopkins University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Johns Hopkins is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 1 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Johns Hopkins, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $8,457 for Middle Atlantic Region Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Johns Hopkins University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 1.3%, 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.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Johns Hopkins
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cornell University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 12 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell University is $9,785 for middle atlantic region astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Cornell Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maryland - College Park landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Maryland - College Park is a large school located in College Park, Maryland that handed out 45 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
UMCP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Maryland - College Park is $17,360 for Middle Atlantic Region Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Maryland - College Park
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stony Brook University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Stony Brook, New York, this large public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
SUNY Stony Brook not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Stony Brook University is $19,344 for Middle Atlantic Region Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at SUNY Stony Brook
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Rutgers University - New Brunswick landed the #5 spot on the list. Rutgers University - New Brunswick is a large school located in New Brunswick, New Jersey that handed out 13 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Rutgers New Brunswick did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $20,927 for middle atlantic region astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Rutgers New Brunswick.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Rutgers University - New Brunswick
With a ranking of #6, Union College New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Union College is located in Schenectady, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
Union College also took the #9 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Union College is $24,375 for Middle Atlantic Region Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Union College
Rochester Institute of Technology ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Rochester, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
RIT not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Rochester Institute of Technology is $31,935 for middle atlantic region astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at RIT
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 1 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k list, Pitt has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is $24,139 for Middle Atlantic Region Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Pitt
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Troy, New York, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
RPI also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $29,788 for Middle Atlantic Region Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend RPI.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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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
- *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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