2023 Best Value Colleges for Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k) in California
4
Ranked Colleges
175
Degrees Awarded
$11,000
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Astrophysical Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Astrophysics is the 598th most popular major in the country with 460 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across California, there were 175 astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in astrophysics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great astrophysics programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the astrophysics program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Astrophysics Schools
The astrophysical sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k”.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california astrophysical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California Institute of Technology is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Caltech also made our “Best Astrophysics Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $12,190 for california astrophysical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California Institute of Technology.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Caltech Astrophysics Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 61 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Astrophysics Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $9,999 for California Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astrophysics at UC Berkeley
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california astrophysical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCLA has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Astrophysics Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,891 for California Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCLA.
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 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 Astrophysics at UCLA
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 65 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california astrophysical sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Astrophysics Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,049 for California Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astrophysics at University of California - Santa Cruz
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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.
