2023 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
9
Ranked Colleges
173
Degrees Awarded
$6,400
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 765 people earned their degree in astronomy, making the major the 479th most popular in the United States.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 173 astronomy graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $245 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 97%.
Read full report on Astronomy at Northwestern
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 28 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $2,500 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UChicago.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UChicago Astronomy Report
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $2,670 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full report on Astronomy at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 27 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $4,858 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 more about Astronomy at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $3,981 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Astronomy at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $5,752 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend IU Bloomington.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 IU Bloomington
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 40 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus is $7,068 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy at Ohio State University - Main Campus
Valparaiso University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Valparaiso, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.
Valpo also took the #8 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Valparaiso University is $19,548 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Valpo Astronomy Report
Wayne State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Wayne State University is a large public school situated in Detroit, Michigan. It awarded 5 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wayne State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $11,060 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wayne State.
Read full report on Astronomy at Wayne State University
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
Notes and References
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
