by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California” 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.
Across California, there were 36 astronomy graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California” ranking, we looked at 22 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their astronomy program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Monterey Peninsula College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California list. Monterey Peninsula College is a medium-sized public school situated in Monterey, California. It awarded 4 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California list. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 10 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Barbara City College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 0 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southwestern College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California. This fairly large school is located in Chula Vista, California, and it awarded 0 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
With a ranking of #6, Santiago Canyon College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California list. Santiago Canyon College is located in Orange, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% 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%.
Orange Coast College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California ranking, coming in at #7. Orange Coast College is a public institution located in Costa Mesa, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Moorpark College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. Moorpark College is a public institution located in Moorpark, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Saddleback College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California ranking. Saddleback College is located in Mission Viejo, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified 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%.
With a ranking of #10, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California list. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 1 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 University of Southern California
San Diego City College ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California list. Located in San Diego, California, this fairly large public school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #11, Irvine Valley College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 0 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
Palomar College ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California list. Palomar College is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 0 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #11, Hartnell College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California list. Hartnell College is located in Salinas, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #11, San Bernardino Valley College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California list. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified ’s astronomical sciences students in 2021-2022.
El Camino College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. El Camino College is a fairly large school located in Torrance, California that handed out 0 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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, Crafton Hills College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California list. CHC is located in Yucaipa, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 ’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California list. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 0 ’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 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%.
With a ranking of #11, Fullerton College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California list. Fullerton College is a fairly large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 0 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California ranking. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 0 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
MiraCosta College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in Oceanside, California, and it awarded 0 ’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Cabrillo College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. Aptos, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomical sciences degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad 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 our data sources and methodologies