2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy
29
Ranked Colleges
118
Degrees Awarded
$35,000
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2021-2022, 765 people earned their degree in astronomy, making the major the 479th most popular in the United States.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 118 astronomy graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,735 and $124,256 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major” ranking, we looked at 29 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy. That schools that top this list have a program in astronomy in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Astronomy Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree astronomical sciences students.
Top 29 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Astronomy Report
Out of the 29 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. NMSU Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It awarded 3 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy at New Mexico State University - Main Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Hawaii at Manoa. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major. UH Manoa is a fairly large school located in Honolulu, Hawaii that handed out 6 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy at UH Manoa
Out of the 29 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy at University of Arizona
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cornell University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major. Cornell University is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 9 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
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 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Astronomy at Cornell University
University of Chicago landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full UChicago Astronomy Report
With a ranking of #7, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. UMCP is a large public school situated in College Park, Maryland. It awarded 6 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy at UMCP
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 4 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 University of Virginia - Main Campus Astronomy Report
With a ranking of #9, Boston University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Boston U is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, 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%.
Full Boston U Astronomy Report
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s astronomical sciences students in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Columbia Astronomy Report
With a ranking of #11, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s astronomical sciences students in 2021-2022.
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 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 more about Astronomy at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #12. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 1 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, 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%.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Astronomy Report
University of Nevada - Las Vegas came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. Las Vegas, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy at UNLV
Case Western Reserve University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Case Western Reserve University Astronomy Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, 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.
Read full report on Astronomy at University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full U-M Astronomy Report
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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 The University of Texas at Austin
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 7 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
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 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy at Ohio State
University of Massachusetts Amherst ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 1 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Massachusetts Amherst Astronomy Report
Georgia State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. This large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
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 Georgia State
Harvard University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #19. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 8 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Astronomy at Harvard
Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #19. BYU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 11 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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 full report on Astronomy at BYU
With a ranking of #19, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.1% 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%. 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.
Read more about Astronomy at Northwestern University
With a ranking of #19, Brown University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Brown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. 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.
Read full report on Astronomy at Brown
Northern Arizona University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. NAU is a public institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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 NAU
With a ranking of #19, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
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 undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 full report on Astronomy at Indiana University - Bloomington
University of Florida ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 4 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Astronomy at UF
With a ranking of #19, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 0 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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 undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Astronomy Report
Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. Texas A&M College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full Texas A&M College Station Astronomy Report
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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.
