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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Great Lakes Region

14 Ranked Colleges
176 Degrees Awarded
$19,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 224 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 176 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 14 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.

More Ways to Rank Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools

The astronomy school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region”.

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 the Great Lakes Region

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

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Great Lakes Region

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, this large public school handed out 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

UC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is $21,843 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree astronomy students.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#12 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. OHIO Athens is a public institution located in Athens, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OHIO Athens, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend OHIO Athens is $22,906 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.

Full Ohio University - Athens Campus Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#4

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan
#13 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central Michigan University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. This fairly large school is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Central Michigan, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan is $15,981 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree astronomy students.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Central Michigan

#5

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ball State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Ball State University is a large school located in Muncie, Indiana that handed out 1 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Ball State also took the #11 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,147 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree astronomy students per year to attend Ball State University.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Ball State

#5 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $17,616 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree astronomy students per year to attend Ohio State.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#4 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 34 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree astronomy students list, UIUC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for great lakes region 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#8

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#8 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $13,253 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at IU Bloomington

#9

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#7 in overall quality

Michigan State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $19,173 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students per year to attend Michigan State.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Full Michigan State Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#10

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan
#14 in overall quality

Wayne State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wayne State is a large public school situated in Detroit, Michigan. It awarded 2 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree astronomy students list, Wayne State has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,965 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students per year to attend Wayne State University.

Full Wayne State Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#11

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#3 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $15,336 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full U-M Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#6 in overall quality

Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Tech, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $22,831 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students per year to attend Illinois Tech.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Illinois Institute of Technology Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#10 in overall quality

Case Western Reserve University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Case Western also took the #10 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $35,428 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students per year to attend Case Western Reserve University.

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 1.4% 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%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Case Western

#14

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

UChicago also took the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $27,315 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UChicago

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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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