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2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $75-$110k

6 Ranked Colleges
65 Degrees Awarded
$21,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor's in Massachusetts For Those Making $75-$110k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Massachusetts, there were 117 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $25,857 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 65 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,887 and $24,387 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 6 colleges that offered a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent astronomy and astrophysics programs, but they also 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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 6 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $75-$110k) in Massachusetts

#1

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Williams College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $75-$110k list. Williams is located in Williamstown, Massachusetts and, has a small 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 Williams, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Williams College is $14,653 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The 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. The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Williams College

#2

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #2 spot on the list. Harvard is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 18 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Harvard also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard University is $15,553 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 impressive 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.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Harvard

#3

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Wellesley College landed the #3 spot on the list. Wellesley, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wellesley, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wellesley College is $22,275 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Wellesley Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#4

Smith College

Northampton, Massachusetts
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Smith College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $75-$110k. This small school is located in Northampton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Smith not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Smith College is $22,926 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Smith

#5

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, this large public school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

UMass Amherst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $24,051 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Massachusetts Amherst

#6

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

Boston University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Boston U also took the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Boston University is $31,075 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive 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.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Boston U

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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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