2025 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools
25
Colleges in the United States
1,396
Astronomy Degrees Awarded
$40,467
Avg Early-Career Salary
Astronomy & Astrophysics 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.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 25 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for astronomy & astrophysics students pursuing a degree. 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
It's difficult to beat University of California - Berkeley if you want to pursue a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 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 data year. Astronomy & Astrophysics degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley earn a boost of around $14,279 above the average income of astronomy & astrophysics majors.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of California - Berkeley
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In NY
31
Astronomy Degrees Awarded
Columbia University in the City of New York is a good choice for students interested in a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.
There were roughly 31 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from Columbia University in the City of New York
Doctor'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 fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 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 Angeles
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In AZ
50
Astronomy Degrees Awarded
University of Arizona is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very 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 year we have data available.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Arizona
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In OH
44
Astronomy Degrees Awarded
Ohio State is a very large public university located in the city of Columbus. This university ranks 1st out of 91 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were about 44 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from Ohio State University - Main Campus
