by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Doctorate” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Doctorate” ranking, we looked at 7 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students 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 “Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Doctorate” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Doctorate”.
Out of the 7 schools in the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Doctorate 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.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Arizona
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Doctorate list. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school awarded 5 diplomas 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 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Arizona State University - Tempe Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Out of the 7 schools in the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, this fairly large public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at NMSU Main Campus
Out of the 7 schools in the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #3 spot on the list. UT Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas Christian University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Doctorate list. TCU is a fairly large school located in Fort Worth, Texas that handed out 1 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Northern Arizona University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #6. NAU is a large public school situated in Flagstaff, Arizona. It awarded 4 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Northern Arizona University
Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #6. 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%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Texas A&M University - College Station
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
