2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2019-2020, 723 people earned their degree in astronomy, making the major the 498th most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 495 astronomy graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 37 colleges that offered a degree in astronomy. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent astronomy programs, but they also cost less that 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.
Featured schools near , edit
More Ways to Rank Astronomy Schools
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 a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students with aid.
The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UF also made our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $6,302 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend UF.
The school has an impressive 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 38 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $15,336 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid per year to attend U-M.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #5 spot on the list. Columbia is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Columbia also made our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $23,306 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students with aid.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, 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 students.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Astronomy Report
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students with aid list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $13,253 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy at Indiana University - Bloomington
University of Maryland - College Park came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UMCP is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UMCP also took the #8 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Maryland - College Park is $19,045 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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 95%.
Read more about Astronomy at University of Maryland - College Park
University of Georgia did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. UGA is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 10 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UGA also took the #11 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Georgia is $13,649 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Arizona ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.
University of Arizona also took the #14 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $15,016 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
San Diego State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
SDSU also took the #23 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
With a ranking of #11, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Austin also took the #12 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $18,023 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 The University of Texas at Austin
With a ranking of #12, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,322 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend Brigham Young University - Provo.
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 student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 Brigham Young University - Provo
University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.
University of Virginia also took the #9 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia is $20,397 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Dartmouth College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Dartmouth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Dartmouth is $33,574 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #15, Stony Brook University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. SUNY Stony Brook is a large public school situated in Stony Brook, New York. It awarded 14 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
SUNY Stony Brook also made our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend Stony Brook University is $15,160 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Ohio State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus is $17,616 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, 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.
Ball State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ball State University is a large school located in Muncie, Indiana that handed out 1 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,147 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid per year to attend Ball State University.
With a ranking of #18, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Boulder, Colorado, and it awarded 64 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
CU - Boulder not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for CU - Boulder is $21,680 for Bachelor’s Degree 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 student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Valdosta State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. Valdosta State University is a public institution located in Valdosta, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Valdosta State University is $13,969 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
University of Hawaii at Manoa landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Hawaii at Manoa is a public institution located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Hawaii at Manoa is $15,030 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, Williams College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Williams did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $19,480 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend Williams College.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
SUNY New Paltz came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. SUNY New Paltz is a public institution located in New Paltz, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,171 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend SUNY New Paltz.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
George Mason University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. George Mason University is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $21,048 for bachelor’s degree astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend GMU.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Massachusetts Amherst came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UMass Amherst is a large school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 17 bachelors’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UMass Amherst also made our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $22,501 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Massachusetts Amherst.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy at University of Massachusetts Amherst
Cornell University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Astronomy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cornell University is $40,126 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Narrow Results by Region
Southeast
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy in the Southeast Region (With Aid)
Rocky Mountains
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy in the Rocky Mountains Region (With Aid)
Middle Atlantic
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy in the Middle Atlantic Region (With Aid)
Southwest
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy in the Southwest Region (With Aid)
New England
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy in the New England Region (With Aid)
Plains States
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy in the Plains States Region (With Aid)
Far Western US
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)
Great Lakes
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
Best Astronomy Bachelor's Degree Schools
Astronomy students
Most Focused Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy
Astronomy students
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Online Astronomy Schools
Astronomy students
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy (Income $0-$30k)
Astronomy students with family income less than $30k
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy (Income $48-$75k)
Astronomy students with family income $48-$75k
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy (Income Over $110k)
Astronomy students with family income exceeding $110k
Highest Paid Bachelor's Degree Astronomy Graduates
Astronomy students
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy
Astronomy students
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy (With Aid)
Astronomy students getting aid
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy (Income $30-$48k)
Astronomy students with family income $30-$48k
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy (Income $75-$110k)
Astronomy students with family income $75-$110k
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
Footnotes
- *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.
Featured Physical Sciences Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University
You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More > |
College Factual provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© College Factual – All Rights Reserved.