by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Middle Atlantic Region” ranking - to help you make that 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 Middle Atlantic region, there were 284 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,362 and $27,000 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 189 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,457 and $25,851 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking analyzed 23 colleges that offered a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in astronomy and astrophysics.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree astronomy students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lycoming College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Lycoming is a small school located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania that handed out 5 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Swarthmore College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region. Swarthmore College is a small school located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania that handed out 6 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Swarthmore College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Haverford College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region. Haverford is a small school located in Haverford, Pennsylvania that handed out 4 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vassar College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Poughkeepsie, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Vassar College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Colgate University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Hamilton, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Colgate University
Franklin and Marshall College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #6. Franklin and Marshall College is located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 1.8% 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%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Franklin and Marshall
With a ranking of #7, Princeton University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Princeton is a medium-sized school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 8 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
SUNY New Paltz did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #8. SUNY New Paltz is located in New Paltz, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at SUNY New Paltz
Barnard College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Barnard College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 2 bachelors’s astronomy 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Barnard College
University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #10. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school handed out 31 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Maryland - College Park
Villanova University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Villanova is located in Villanova, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Villanova University
Carnegie Mellon University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Carnegie Mellon University
Union College New York landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in Schenectady, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
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. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
With a ranking of #14, Lehigh University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Lehigh University
With a ranking of #15, Stony Brook University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. SUNY Stony Brook is a large school located in Stony Brook, New York that handed out 12 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at SUNY Stony Brook
Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #16. Located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, this large public school handed out 13 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Columbia University in the City of New York
Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
George Washington University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
With a ranking of #20, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Pitt is a large public school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 1 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
With a ranking of #21, Siena College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Siena College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Loudonville, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Delaware did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Newark, Delaware, this large public school handed out 0 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students 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 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Bryn Mawr College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 0 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Bryn Mawr College
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
