2023 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
9
Ranked Colleges
173
Degrees Awarded
$18,500
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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.
This year’s “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
More Ways to Rank Astronomy Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,321 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend UIUC.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Full UIUC Astronomy Report
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #2 spot on the list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 13 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $14,619 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Astronomy at IU Bloomington
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,234 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Astronomy at UW - Madison
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Ann Arbor, Michigan 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.
U-M also made our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $14,878 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Astronomy at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 8 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $23,279 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
The impressive undergraduate 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. 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 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Northwestern University Astronomy Report
With a ranking of #6, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 40 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $16,845 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students with aid.
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 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy at Ohio State University - Main Campus
University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $28,517 for Great Lakes Region Astronomical Sciences students with aid per year to attend University of Chicago.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UChicago Astronomy Report
Wayne State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Detroit, Michigan, this large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.
Wayne State also made our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $13,962 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students with aid per year to attend Wayne State University.
Full Wayne State University Astronomy Report
Valparaiso University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Valparaiso, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astronomical sciences degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
Valpo also made our “Best Astronomy Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Valparaiso University is $22,899 for great lakes region astronomical sciences students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy at Valpo
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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.
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