2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate
12
Ranked Colleges
80
Degrees Awarded
$38,600
Avg Cost*
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Astronomy is the 479th most popular major in the country with 765 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in astronomy. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent astronomy programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the astronomy program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate”.
Top 12 Best Astronomy Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans
Out of the 12 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 3 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Astronomy Doctor’s Degree Schools” list.According to our most recent data, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor supports 47,907 students, and 570 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 325 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $27,058. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor]](/colleges/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Astronomy Doctor’s Degree Schools” list.According to our most recent data, UIUC supports 52,679 students, and 10 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Out of the 12 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Tucson, Arizona, this large public school handed out 9 degrees to qualified doctorate’s astronomical sciences students in 2020-2021.
University of Arizona also took the #5 spot in our “Best Astronomy Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking.Among the 45,601 students enrolled at University of Arizona, 2,131 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,478 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,880. On top of their other funding sources, 31 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Arizona offers credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
Out of the 12 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our doctor’s degree vets studying astronomical sciences list, UW - Madison has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Astronomy Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 4 of the 44,640 students enrolled at University of Wisconsin - Madison were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Wisconsin - Madison does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UW - Madison Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Maryland - College Park. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate list. University of Maryland - College Park is a large school located in College Park, Maryland that handed out 6 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UMCP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Astronomy Doctor’s Degree Schools” list.Of the 40,709 students enrolled at UMCP, 16 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 13 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $1,716. On top of their other funding sources, 8 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Maryland - College Park]](/colleges/university-of-maryland-college-park/student-life/veterans/)
Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #6. Cornell is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 6 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 2 of the 23,620 students enrolled at Cornell University were GI Bill® students, of which 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,780. During this same period, 2 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. 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 full report on veteran student life at Cornell University]](/colleges/cornell-university/student-life/veterans/)
University of Chicago landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate ranking. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 4 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago also made our “Best Astronomy Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1.According to our most recent data, University of Chicago supports 17,834 students, and 241 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 113 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,948. To help with additional expenses, 58 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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.
Read More…
University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also took the #7 spot in our “Best Astronomy Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 3 of the 25,628 students enrolled at University of Virginia were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #9. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 5 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our doctor’s degree vets studying astronomical sciences list, UW Seattle has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Astronomy Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,283 of the 48,149 students enrolled at UW Seattle were GI Bill® students, of which 769 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,190. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Washington - Seattle Campus]](/colleges/university-of-washington-seattle-campus/student-life/veterans/)
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate ranking. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Astronomy Doctor’s Degree Schools” list.Of the 50,476 students enrolled at UT Austin, 7 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,893. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UT Austin offers credit for military training for eligible students.
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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at The University of Texas at Austin]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-austin/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #11, Boston University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate list. Boston U is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Boston U also made our “Best Astronomy Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #8.Among the 32,718 students enrolled at Boston University, 15 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $25,162. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
With a ranking of #12, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Astronomical Sciences for a Doctorate list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 6 doctorate’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Astronomy Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #11.Of the 19,161 students enrolled at UC Santa Cruz, 273 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 114 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,631. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 85%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of California - Santa Cruz]](/colleges/university-of-california-santa-cruz/student-life/veterans/)
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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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.
college factual
