2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Far Western US Region
10
Ranked Colleges
234
Degrees Awarded
$37,000
Avg Cost*
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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 1,375 people earned their degree in astronomy and astrophysics, making the major the 219th most popular in the United States. 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 Far Western US region, there were 344 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $19,734 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 234 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,720 and $23,024 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in astronomy and astrophysics. That schools that top this list have a program in astronomy and astrophysics in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students.
Top 10 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Far Western US Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Whitman College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region. Whitman is located in Walla Walla, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad 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%.
Full Whitman College Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 65 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region list. California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 Caltech Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Hawaii at Hilo. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region list. University of Hawaii at Hilo is a public institution located in Hilo, Hawaii. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Hawaii at Hilo
Out of the 10 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #5 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 49 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
Full University of California - Berkeley Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UW Seattle Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 32 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UCLA Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
With a ranking of #8, University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region list. This fairly large school is located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UH Manoa
San Diego State University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region list. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 9 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full San Diego State University Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
University of Southern California came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 USC
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