2024 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools
51
Colleges in the United States
1,396
Astronomy Degrees Awarded
$29,129
Avg Early-Career Salary
isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #219 in popularity out of 395 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.
College Factual reviewed 51 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of astronomy & astrophysics. Combined, these schools handed out 1,396 degrees in astronomy & astrophysics to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Astronomy & Astrophysics School
Your choice of astronomy & astrophysics school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for astronomy & astrophysics schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Astronomy & Astrophysics Degree Level
The astronomy school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
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.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the United States
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the astronomy degree levels they offer.
10 Top Schools in Astronomy
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In IL
Northwestern University is a good option for students pursuing a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
There were approximately 8 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from Northwestern UniversityIt is difficult to beat University of Chicago if you wish to pursue a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.
There were roughly 30 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of ChicagoDoctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
56
Astronomy Degrees Awarded
It's difficult to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were approximately 56 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of California - BerkeleyDoctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
47
Astronomy Degrees Awarded
University of California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 47 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of California - Los AngelesDoctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In CA
Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Caltech is a great school overall.
There were about 24 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from California Institute of TechnologyLocated in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.
There were roughly 39 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year. Those astronomy & astrophysics students who get their degree from The University of Texas at Austin make $13,641 more than the standard astronomy graduate.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from The University of Texas at AustinDoctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In IL
Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were about 22 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignDoctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In MA
Located in the large suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 11th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were about 20 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Massachusetts AmherstDoctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In AZ
50
Astronomy Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.
There were about 50 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of ArizonaDoctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In WI
35
Astronomy Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.
There were roughly 35 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Wisconsin - Madison
