2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that 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 Southwest region, there were 141 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $25,179 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 11 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.
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Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Tucson, Arizona, this large public school awarded 57 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.
University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $10,562 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Arizona
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Tempe. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Arizona State University - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
ASU - Tempe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $7,044 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M College Station also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M College Station is $11,454 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Texas A&M College Station
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $12,203 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at The University of Texas at Austin
Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. NMSU Main Campus is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
NMSU Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $6,896 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at NMSU Main Campus
Northern Arizona University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northern Arizona University is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
NAU also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Northern Arizona University is $9,251 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Northern Arizona University
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 9 ’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Oklahoma not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $16,675 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #8, University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UNM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $13,242 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus.
Baylor University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Baylor University is a fairly large school located in Waco, Texas that handed out 3 ’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
Baylor also took the #5 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Baylor University is $26,726 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national 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.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Baylor University
With a ranking of #10, Texas Christian University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. TCU is located in Fort Worth, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
TCU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $21,286 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas Christian University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Texas Christian University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott is a private not-for-profit institution located in Prescott, Arizona. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Embry-Riddle Prescott did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Embry-Riddle Prescott is $31,082 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Embry-Riddle Prescott
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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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