2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in Illinois
3
Ranked Colleges
13
Degrees Awarded
$36,800
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Illinois, there were 74 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 13 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,317 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in astronomy and astrophysics.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools
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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree astronomy students.
Top 3 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in Illinois
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in Illinois list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 masters’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 0.6% 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Northwestern University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in Illinois. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 3 masters’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Chicago
Out of the 3 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 masters’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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.
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