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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region

7 Ranked Colleges
168 Degrees Awarded
$14,817 Avg Student Debt
Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Far Western US region, there were 238 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $14,817 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 168 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the astronomy and astrophysics program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 7 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. California Institute of Technology is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 8 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Caltech is $8,042 for far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The 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. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Caltech Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 19 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $13,081 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Los Angeles

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 38 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,694 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $13,081 for far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Berkeley Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#5

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $15,253 for far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

SDSU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,730 for far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Diego State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at SDSU

#7 in overall quality

University of Hawaii at Manoa landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, this fairly large public school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH Manoa, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $15,372 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UH Manoa

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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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