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2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid

36 Ranked Colleges
765 Degrees Awarded
$17,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Astronomy is the 479th most popular major in the country with 765 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 36 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in astronomy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality astronomy programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the astronomy program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.

Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for astronomical sciences students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy (With Aid)

1

Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomical sciences degrees to 51 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our astronomical sciences students with aid list, UW Seattle has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $12,017 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.

Read more about Astronomy at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

2
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,135 for astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend UF.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Florida Astronomy Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.

UIUC also took the #6 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,321 for astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend UIUC.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Astronomy at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

4

Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 34 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Austin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Astronomy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $18,350 for astronomical sciences students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy at The University of Texas at Austin

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Maryland - College Park. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UMCP is a large school located in College Park, Maryland that handed out 45 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our astronomical sciences students with aid list, UMCP has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,048 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Maryland - College Park.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read more about Astronomy at University of Maryland - College Park

6
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 13 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our astronomical sciences students with aid list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,619 for astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend IU Bloomington.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy at Indiana University - Bloomington

7
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 32 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Astronomy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $13,358 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Astronomy at University of Arizona

8
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomical sciences degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia also made our “Best Astronomy Schools” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $22,006 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Virginia.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.

Read more about Astronomy at University of Virginia - Main Campus

9

University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,234 for astronomical sciences students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Astronomy Report

10

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 25 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,878 for astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Astronomy at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

11
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 8 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $23,279 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy at Northwestern

12

With a ranking of #12, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomical sciences degrees to 40 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus is $16,845 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astronomy at Ohio State

13
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 15 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Astronomy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $13,845 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astronomy at SDSU

14

With a ranking of #14, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. BYU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at BYU, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,474 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid per year to attend BYU.

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 1.3% 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%.

Read full report on Astronomy at BYU

15

With a ranking of #15, University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Las Vegas, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomical sciences degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $10,993 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy at UNLV

16

University of Colorado Boulder ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Boulder, Colorado, and it awarded 60 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our astronomical sciences students with aid list, CU - Boulder has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CU - Boulder is $20,967 for astronomical sciences students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.

Read more about Astronomy at CU - Boulder

17

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Astronomy Schools” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $17,930 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Astronomy Report

18
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 10 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Astronomy Schools” list. It costs about $19,401 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Iowa.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Astronomy at University of Iowa

19

Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 3 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Astronomy Schools” list. It costs about $18,919 for astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend Texas A&M College Station.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Astronomy at Texas A&M University - College Station

20
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York

Stony Brook University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Stony Brook University is a large school located in Stony Brook, New York that handed out 12 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $16,119 for astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend Stony Brook University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Astronomy at SUNY Stony Brook

21
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

University of Georgia came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Athens, Georgia, this large public school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our astronomical sciences students with aid list, UGA has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,257 for astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Georgia.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UGA Astronomy Report

22
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, this large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $14,308 for astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend NAU.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full NAU Astronomy Report

23
UMass Amherst crest
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #23, University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large public school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 20 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMass Amherst, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMass Amherst is $22,038 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Astronomy at UMass Amherst

24
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ball State University is a large school located in Muncie, Indiana that handed out 2 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Ball State University is $14,765 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Astronomy at Ball State

25
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Cornell University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 12 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our astronomical sciences students with aid list, Cornell has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Astronomy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cornell University is $37,042 for Astronomical Sciences students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Astronomy at Cornell University

Notes and References

References

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