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2023 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $75-$110k) in the Far Western US Region

6 Ranked Colleges
344 Degrees Awarded
$20,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking.

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 Far Western US region, there were 344 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $19,734 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer 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.

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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 Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 6 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $75-$110k) in the Far Western US Region

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 28 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.

Caltech also took the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of Technology is $20,010 for far western us region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at California Institute of Technology

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 65 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $21,601 for far western us region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Berkeley

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 43 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.

UCLA also took the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $20,697 for Far Western US Region Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UCLA

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 51 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle also took the #4 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,894 for far western us region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UW Seattle

5
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 15 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.

SDSU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $18,957 for Far Western US Region Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend San Diego State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at SDSU

6

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 76 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #5 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $22,380 for Far Western US Region Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz

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