2023 Most Focused Colleges for Astrophysics
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When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2021-2022, 436 people earned their degree in astrophysics, making the major the 598th most popular in the United States.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major” ranking, we looked at 54 colleges that offer a degree in astrophysics. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their astrophysics program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major”.
Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Astrophysics
Out of the 54 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Whitman College landed the #1 spot on the list. Whitman is a private not-for-profit institution located in Walla Walla, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 Astrophysics at Whitman College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 14 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%.
Read full report on Astrophysics at Caltech
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Agnes Scott College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. Agnes Scott College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decatur, Georgia. It awarded 6 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Agnes Scott Astrophysics Report
Out of the 54 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Princeton University landed the #4 spot on the list. Princeton University is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 30 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Princeton Astrophysics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lycoming College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. Lycoming College is located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 7 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
Read full report on Astrophysics at Lycoming College
Swarthmore College ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. This small school is located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 11 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Astrophysics at Swarthmore
With a ranking of #7, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 49 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz
Haverford College ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. Haverford is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It awarded 0 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Astrophysics at Haverford
Wellesley College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking. Wellesley College is a small school located in Wellesley, Massachusetts that handed out 7 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astrophysics at Wellesley
Williams College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It awarded 5 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Astrophysics at Williams College
Colgate University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking. Colgate University is a small school located in Hamilton, New York that handed out 13 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full Colgate University Astrophysics Report
With a ranking of #12, Franklin and Marshall College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. This small school is located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 4 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Astrophysics at Franklin and Marshall
With a ranking of #13, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 54 students in 2021-2022.
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 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%.
Full UC Berkeley Astrophysics Report
With a ranking of #14, Barnard College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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 more about Astrophysics at Barnard College
Ohio Wesleyan University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking. Ohio Wesleyan University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Delaware, Ohio. It awarded 5 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full OWU Astrophysics Report
With a ranking of #16, Rochester Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. Rochester, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 8 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%.
Read full report on Astrophysics at RIT
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #17. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 41 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Astrophysics at University of California - Los Angeles
Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking. Illinois Tech is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, 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 87%.
Read full report on Astrophysics at Illinois Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #19. This fairly large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 8 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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 97%.
Read full report on Astrophysics at Carnegie Mellon University
Michigan State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #20. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 23 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astrophysics at Michigan State University
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified ’s astrophysical sciences students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, 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 92%.
Full UMN Twin Cities Astrophysics Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #22. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 20 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astrophysics at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Lehigh University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 3 ’s astrophysical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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%. 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Astrophysics at Lehigh
University of Colorado Boulder came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major ranking. This large school is located in Boulder, Colorado, and it awarded 10 ’s astrophysical 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%. 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 full report on Astrophysics at CU - Boulder
With a ranking of #25, Rice University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Astrophysical Sciences Major list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astrophysical sciences degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Astrophysics at Rice
