2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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 bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 874 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 59 colleges that offer 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.
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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 Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree astronomy students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s. Brigham Young University - Provo is located in Provo, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Provo is $13,322 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wyoming landed the #2 spot on the list. UW is a fairly large school located in Laramie, Wyoming that handed out 11 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,159 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students per year to attend University of Wyoming.
The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 University of Wyoming
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Georgia. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s. Located in Athens, Georgia, this large public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astronomy students list, UGA has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UGA is $13,649 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Georgia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astronomy students list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,740 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.
The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 93%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Valdosta State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Valdosta, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,969 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students per year to attend Valdosta State University.
With a ranking of #6, University of Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s list. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $6,302 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.
Northern Arizona University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. NAU is a large school located in Flagstaff, Arizona that handed out 5 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for NAU is $12,915 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $21,145 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Oklahoma
With a ranking of #9, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,788 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students per year to attend San Diego State University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, 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.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UC is a public institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $21,843 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students per year to attend UC.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
SUNY New Paltz ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s list. New Paltz, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,171 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students per year to attend SUNY New Paltz.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Kansas landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. KU is located in Lawrence, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Kansas is $18,918 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Kansas
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison also took the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,708 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.
The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 95%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Stony Brook University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #14. Stony Brook University is a large school located in Stony Brook, New York that handed out 14 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Stony Brook University is $15,160 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Ohio University - Athens Campus is $22,906 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Ohio University - Athens Campus
Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #16. Located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, this large public school awarded 13 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rutgers New Brunswick, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers New Brunswick is $21,654 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, 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 students.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #17. Mount Pleasant, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan is $15,981 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Central Michigan University
Ball State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Ball State is located in Muncie, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Ball State University is $15,147 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #19. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 27 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,616 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
UIUC also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Maryland - College Park ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s list. College Park, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.
UMCP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $19,045 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students per year to attend University of Maryland - College Park.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Maryland - College Park
University of Arizona came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astronomy students list, University of Arizona has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $15,016 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach is a private not-for-profit institution located in Daytona Beach, Florida. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astronomy students list, Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $34,296 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students per year to attend Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is $27,938 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UNM is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UNM is $14,446 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.
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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
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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