2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

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 Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Astronomy & Astrophysics is the 222nd most popular major in the country with 1,268 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 California, there were 153 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $14,817 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 15 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality astronomy and astrophysics programs that also have a lower cost than 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.

More Ways to Rank Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools

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 a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California

#1 in overall quality

$56,649 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. Caltech is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

Caltech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of Technology are $56,649, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Caltech

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#2 in overall quality

$28,131 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UCLA

#3

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#3 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Berkeley

#4

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

#4 in overall quality

$28,952 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 4 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Santa Cruz

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Doctor’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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