College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in California

6 Ranked Colleges
161 Degrees Awarded
$38,800 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in California” ranking.

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 California, there were 252 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $19,734 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 161 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,566 and $21,995 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in California” ranking analyzed 6 colleges that offered a degree 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.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Astronomy Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in California”.

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. 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.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in California

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

Top 6 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in California

1

Out of the 6 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school handed out 65 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in California list. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergraduate 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

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in California list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

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 UC Berkeley Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in California list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

5
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

Out of the 6 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #5 spot on the list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 9 students 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full San Diego State University Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

6
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in California list. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at USC

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options