2024 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

When it comes to popularity, a bachelor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics sits in the middle of the road, ranking #168 out of 363 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 38 bachelor's degrees in astronomy & astrophysics during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools List

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to astronomy & astrophysics students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other astronomy & astrophysics students want to attend this school to pursue a bachelor's degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for astronomy & astrophysics to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized astronomy & astrophysics related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for astronomy & astrophysics students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Plains States Region

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for astronomy & astrophysics students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

Top Plains States Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Astronomy

1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN

18 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics has to take a look at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.More information about a bachelor’s in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2

University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

10 Annual Graduates

University of Iowa is a good choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Iowa

Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Colleges by State

Explore the best astronomy & astrophysics colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Missouri	228	0
Minnesota	215	18
Iowa	197	10
Kansas	184	10

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Rankings in Majors Related to Astronomy

Astronomy & Astrophysics is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.

Astronomy Concentrations

Major	Annual Graduates
Astronomy	20
Astrophysics	18

Majors Similar to Astronomy

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Chemistry	1,189
Physics	542
Geological & Earth Sciences	263
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology	81
General Physical Sciences	17
Other Physical Science	8

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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). More about our data sources and methodologies.