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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (With Aid)

39 Ranked Colleges
170 Degrees Awarded
$35,500 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

Astronomy & Astrophysics is the 222nd most popular major in the country with 1,268 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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.

At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 170 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,680 and $116,043 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 39 colleges that offer 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Doctorate For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (With Aid)

#1

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s astronomy degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UF are $30,130, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UF Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#2

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s astronomy degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

Harvard also took the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard University are $50,654, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Harvard Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#14 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 3 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523.

Full UW - Madison Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#4

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 39 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Princeton University landed the #4 spot on the list. Princeton University is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

Princeton also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at Princeton University are $56,470, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Princeton University

#5

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree astronomy students with aid list, UCLA has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

With a ranking of #6, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Washington - Seattle Campus are $30,294, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#4 in overall quality

Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. Columbia University in the City of New York is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree astronomy students with aid list, Columbia has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia University in the City of New York are $51,194, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Columbia University in the City of New York Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#8

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#12 in overall quality

University of Arizona ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 13 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree astronomy students with aid list, University of Arizona has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Arizona are $33,399, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Arizona

#9

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#10 in overall quality

Massachusetts Institute of Technology came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a fairly large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 1 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

MIT also took the #10 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Massachusetts Institute of Technology are $56,719.

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

#21 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. The University of Texas at Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 2 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also took the #21 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas at Austin are $22,886, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UT Austin

#11

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#19 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 1 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845.

Full UMN Twin Cities Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Provo, Utah, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Brigham Young University - Provo are $7,510.

Full BYU Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#13

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#17 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 5 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree astronomy students with aid list, U-M has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at U-M

#14

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#16 in overall quality

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia also took the #16 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Virginia - Main Campus are $32,394, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Virginia - Main Campus

Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Arizona State University - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at ASU - Tempe are $27,048, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Arizona State University - Tempe

With a ranking of #16, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s astronomy degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#17

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s astronomy degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Bloomington are $33,338, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at IU Bloomington

#18

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#23 in overall quality

University of Maryland - College Park landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Maryland - College Park is a large public school situated in College Park, Maryland. It awarded 1 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UMCP also took the #23 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Maryland - College Park are $30,885, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UMCP Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#19

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#3 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. Caltech is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 7 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree astronomy students with aid list, Caltech has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Caltech are $56,649.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Caltech

Iowa State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s astronomy degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa State are $25,948, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Iowa State University Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#21

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Northwestern University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 7 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Northwestern

New Mexico State University - Main Campus came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at New Mexico State University - Main Campus are $18,275, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at NMSU Main Campus

#23

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s astronomy degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347.

Full University of California - Berkeley Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s astronomy degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ohio State are $37,141, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Ohio State University - Main Campus

#25

University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, Colorado
#15 in overall quality

University of Colorado Boulder did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. CU - Boulder is a public institution located in Boulder, Colorado. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CU - Boulder also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #15. Average graduate tuition and fees at CU - Boulder are $32,980, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Colorado Boulder

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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