2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in Illinois (With Aid)

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that 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 Illinois, there were 62 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 44 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the astronomy and astrophysics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in Illinois (With Aid)

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$15,880 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 34 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#2

Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$22,831 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #2 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $22,831 for illinois bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid per year to attend Illinois Institute of Technology.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.

Full Illinois Tech Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#3

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$27,315 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $27,315 for illinois bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full UChicago Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (With Aid)

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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