2023 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region
12
Ranked Colleges
249
Degrees Awarded
$21,300
Avg Net Price*
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 Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 1,375 people earned their degree in astronomy and astrophysics, making the major the 219th most popular in the United States. 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 Great Lakes region, there were 249 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $19,258 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, we looked at 12 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the astronomy and astrophysics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.
Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 14 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $15,686 for Great Lakes Region Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
Full Northwestern Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 28 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $19,895 for great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 100%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UChicago
Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #3 spot on the list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $17,207 for Great Lakes Region Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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.
Full U-M Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 30 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $22,377 for great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UW - Madison
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 27 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $22,400 for great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 41 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio State also took the #5 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $21,575 for great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Ohio State University - Main Campus
Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 14 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $20,234 for Great Lakes Region Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Indiana University - Bloomington Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Michigan State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
Michigan State also took the #7 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State is $25,297 for great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Michigan State University
With a ranking of #9, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 4 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k list, Illinois Tech has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Tech is $24,673 for great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Illinois Institute of Technology Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, this large public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k list, UC has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC is $24,534 for Great Lakes Region Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC
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