2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 1,268 people earned their degree in astronomy and astrophysics, making the major the 222nd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, astronomy and astrophysics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $27,700 and had an average of $21,346 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 31 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 22 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 2 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the astronomy and astrophysics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools

The astronomy 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 Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 2 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

#1 in overall quality

$7,266 Average Net Price

$44,942 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,266 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#2

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

#2 in overall quality

$14,387 Average Net Price

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Kansas landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Kansas is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

KU also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $14,387 for plains states region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Kansas.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at KU

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k)

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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