2023 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Plains States Region
3
Ranked Colleges
44
Degrees Awarded
$19,200
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Astronomy & Astrophysics is the 219th most popular major in the country with 1,375 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Plains States region, there were 44 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $27,000 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 3 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 in the Plains States Region” list to help you make the college 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 in the Plains States Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region astronomy students.
Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Plains States Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Plains States Region. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $17,878 for Plains States Region Astronomy students.
The low undergrad 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 93%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UMN Twin Cities
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Plains States Region list. Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 10 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa is $19,401 for plains states region astronomy students.
The low undergrad 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 88%.
Full Iowa Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Kansas landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Lawrence, Kansas, and it awarded 9 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
KU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $20,257 for Plains States Region Astronomy students per year to attend KU.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, 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 86%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Kansas
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
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
- *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.
college factual
