2023 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Middle Atlantic Region (With Aid)
9
Ranked Colleges
284
Degrees Awarded
$27,400
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 Middle Atlantic region, there were 284 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,362 and $27,000 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 9 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.
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 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 in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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 Middle Atlantic Region For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for middle atlantic region astronomy students with aid.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Middle Atlantic Region (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Maryland - College Park. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school handed out 45 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region astronomy students with aid list, UMCP has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $18,048 for middle atlantic region astronomy students with aid per year to attend UMCP.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UMCP Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stony Brook University landed the #2 spot on the list. SUNY Stony Brook is a public institution located in Stony Brook, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SUNY Stony Brook also took the #7 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SUNY Stony Brook is $16,119 for middle atlantic region astronomy students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Stony Brook University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Getting Aid. New Brunswick, New Jersey is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rutgers New Brunswick, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rutgers University - New Brunswick is $23,035 for Middle Atlantic Region Astronomy students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Rutgers University - New Brunswick
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cornell University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Getting Aid. Cornell University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region astronomy students with aid list, Cornell has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell is $37,042 for middle atlantic region astronomy students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Cornell University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johns Hopkins University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Getting Aid list. Johns Hopkins University is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
Johns Hopkins not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins University is $23,428 for Middle Atlantic Region Astronomy students with aid.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Johns Hopkins Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Pitt is a public institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Pitt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pitt is $27,058 for middle atlantic region astronomy students with aid.
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 93%.
Full Pitt Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Rochester Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. RIT is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rochester, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at RIT, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $34,822 for middle atlantic region astronomy students with aid per year to attend RIT.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Rochester Institute of Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Troy, New York, and it awarded 1 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
RPI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $33,937 for Middle Atlantic Region Astronomy students with aid per year to attend RPI.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Union College New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Schenectady, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region astronomy students with aid list, Union College has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $33,200 for middle atlantic region astronomy students with aid per year to attend Union College.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Union College Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
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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
- *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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