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2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Southwest Region

7 Ranked Colleges
27 Degrees Awarded
$34,500 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Southwest region, there were 119 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,770 and $25,982 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 27 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,218 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region” ranking looked at 7 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.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region”.

Top 7 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Southwest Region

1
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

Out of the 7 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 15 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.

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 Arizona

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region list. New Mexico State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at New Mexico State University - Main Campus

3
TCU crest
Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, Texas

Out of the 7 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Christian University landed the #3 spot on the list. TCU is located in Fort Worth, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 doctorate’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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full TCU Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

4

Out of the 7 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #4 spot on the list. ASU - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at ASU - Tempe

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UT Austin

6

Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified doctorate’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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Texas A&M College Station Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

6
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Northern Arizona University is a public institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Northern Arizona University

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References

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