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

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 15 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered 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.

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

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Doctorate in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california doctor’s degree astronomy students.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#2 in overall quality

$28,131 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 2 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Los Angeles

#2

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#3 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 2 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree astronomy students list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Berkeley

#3

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

#4 in overall quality

$28,952 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 4 doctorate’s astronomy 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 Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Santa Cruz

#4

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California

#1 in overall quality

$56,649 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California list. California Institute of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 7 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech also took the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of Technology are $56,649, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Caltech Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics

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

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >