2022 Best Value Colleges for Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Astrophysics is the 671st most popular major in the country with 383 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.
Across the Southwest region, there were 27 astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in astrophysics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent astrophysics programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the astrophysics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
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 the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 7 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
ASU - Tempe also took the #2 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Tempe is $14,033 for Southwest Region Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Norman, Oklahoma, this large public school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified ’s astrophysical sciences students in 2019-2020.
University of Oklahoma not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $21,812 for southwest region astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Oklahoma.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Astrophysics Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Albuquerque, New Mexico is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
UNM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UNM is $16,557 for Southwest Region Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Baylor University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Waco, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
Baylor also took the #1 spot in our “Best Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $31,343 for southwest region astrophysical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Baylor University.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Astrophysical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Christian University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Fort Worth, Texas, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified ’s astrophysical sciences students in 2019-2020.
TCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Christian University is $29,929 for Southwest Region Astrophysical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
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Astrophysics students with family income $75-$110k in the Southwest Region
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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