Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in California

5 Ranked Colleges
112 Degrees Awarded
$17,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor's in California

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 for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 California, there were 153 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $14,817 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 112 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered 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 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 California” 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. 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 for a Bachelor’s in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California.

Top 5 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 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 #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree astronomy students list, UCLA has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree astronomy students per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UCLA

#2

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at SDSU

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 53 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Berkeley

#4

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. University of California - Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree astronomy students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, 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%.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz

#5

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Caltech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of Technology is $24,274 for california bachelor’s degree astronomy students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at California Institute of Technology

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You