2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid
49
Ranked Colleges
1,375
Degrees Awarded
$16,100
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 1,375 people earned their degree in astronomy and astrophysics, making the major the 219th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, astronomy and astrophysics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,221 and had an average of $24,484 in loans still to pay off.
For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 49 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great astronomy and astrophysics programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the astronomy and 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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 51 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our astronomy students with aid list, UW Seattle has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $12,017 for Astronomy students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #2 spot on the list. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 28 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UF is $5,135 for Astronomy students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Florida Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #3 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 65 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $16,032 for Astronomy students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. 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 Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 43 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for Astronomy students with aid.
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 Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Los Angeles
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 27 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our astronomy students with aid list, UIUC has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,321 for astronomy students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UIUC
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school handed out 34 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $18,350 for astronomy students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 Astronomy & Astrophysics at The University of Texas at Austin
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 30 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $17,234 for Astronomy students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Wisconsin - Madison
With a ranking of #8, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Maryland - College Park is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMCP, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,048 for astronomy students with aid per year to attend University of Maryland - College Park.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UMCP
With a ranking of #9, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 14 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our astronomy students with aid list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $14,619 for astronomy students with aid.
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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at IU Bloomington
With a ranking of #10, Williams College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Williams is a small school located in Williamstown, Massachusetts that handed out 5 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Williams also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for Williams College is $23,497 for astronomy students with aid.
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 undergraduate 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 more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Williams
University of Arizona came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.
University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $13,358 for astronomy students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full University of Arizona Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
University of Wyoming landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wyoming is located in Laramie, Wyoming and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wyoming is $11,085 for Astronomy students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 UW Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
With a ranking of #13, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $22,006 for astronomy students with aid per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.
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 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Virginia - Main Campus
With a ranking of #14, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UMN Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our astronomy students with aid list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,878 for Astronomy students with aid per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
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 low undergrad 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%.
Full UMN Twin Cities Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school awarded 25 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $14,878 for astronomy students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 96%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at U-M
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.
Ohio State also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $16,845 for astronomy students with aid per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Ohio State University - Main Campus
Northwestern University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $23,279 for astronomy students with aid.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Northwestern
Michigan State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school awarded 22 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” list. It costs about $19,058 for astronomy students with aid per year to attend Michigan State University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Michigan State
San Diego State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,845 for Astronomy students with aid per year to attend San Diego State University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full San Diego State University Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 76 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz also took the #21 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,930 for Astronomy students with aid per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Santa Cruz
Brigham Young University - Provo ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Brigham Young University - Provo is located in Provo, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $13,474 for astronomy students with aid per year to attend Brigham Young University - Provo.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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 full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Brigham Young University - Provo
University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a public institution located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $10,993 for astronomy students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Nevada - Las Vegas
With a ranking of #23, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. CU - Boulder is a large public school situated in Boulder, Colorado. It awarded 73 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
CU - Boulder not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools” list. It costs about $20,967 for Astronomy students with aid per year to attend CU - Boulder.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 85%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at CU - Boulder
Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 6 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for ASU - Tempe is $13,107 for astronomy students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at ASU - Tempe
University of Iowa landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $19,401 for Astronomy students with aid per year to attend University of Iowa.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Astronomy & Astrophysics at Iowa
