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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k)

20 Ranked Colleges
294 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 383 people earned their degree in astrophysics, making the major the 671st most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 294 astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 20 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in astrophysics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality astrophysics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the astrophysics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Astrophysics Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.

Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 20 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k)

#1

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Princeton University is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Princeton, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Princeton University is $7,576 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Princeton University Astrophysics Report

#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia University in the City of New York. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia University in the City of New York is $5,887 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, 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 95%. The impressive 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 Astrophysics at Columbia

#3

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 6 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Institute of Technology is $8,042 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full California Institute of Technology Astrophysics Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 40 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astrophysical sciences students in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $13,227 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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 95%.

Full UW - Madison Astrophysics Report

#5

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts
#13 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Williams College landed the #5 spot on the list. Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Williams also made our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $7,134 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Williams.

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 impressive 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 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 full report on Astrophysics at Williams College

#6

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts
#8 in overall quality

Wellesley College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Wellesley, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Wellesley also made our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $14,229 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Wellesley.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Astrophysics at Wellesley

#7

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#6 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 13 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,556 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UMN Twin Cities Astrophysics Report

#8

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#7 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 19 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #7 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $13,081 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Astrophysics at University of California - Los Angeles

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 50 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $13,081 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Astrophysics at UC Berkeley

#10

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

Carnegie Mellon University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astrophysical sciences students in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $18,276 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low 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%. The impressive 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full Carnegie Mellon University Astrophysics Report

#11

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#14 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 28 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $15,253 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Astrophysics Report

#12

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, Hawaii
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Hawaii at Manoa is a fairly large public school situated in Honolulu, Hawaii. It awarded 6 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH Manoa, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Hawaii at Manoa is $15,372 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.

Read full report on Astrophysics at University of Hawaii at Manoa

#13

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

Michigan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $20,696 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Michigan State University Astrophysics Report

#14

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey
#10 in overall quality

Rutgers University - New Brunswick landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Rutgers University - New Brunswick is a public institution located in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Rutgers New Brunswick not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers New Brunswick is $20,935 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The 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 Astrophysics at Rutgers New Brunswick

#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also made our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Tech is $22,542 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.

Read more about Astrophysics at Illinois Institute of Technology

#16 in overall quality

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 9 bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC is $20,312 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read more about Astrophysics at UC

#17 in overall quality

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, University of Oklahoma has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $21,812 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Astrophysics at University of Oklahoma

#18

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico
#20 in overall quality

University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Albuquerque, New Mexico is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, UNM has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $16,557 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Astrophysics at University of New Mexico - Main Campus

#19 in overall quality

Ohio University - Athens Campus ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

OHIO Athens also made our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend OHIO Athens is $22,337 for Bachelor’s Degree Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Astrophysics at OHIO Athens

#20

Baylor University

Waco, Texas
#15 in overall quality

Baylor University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. Waco, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Baylor also took the #15 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $31,343 for bachelor’s degree astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Baylor.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Baylor University Astrophysics Report

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

Footnotes

  • *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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