2022 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 $48-$75k” 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.
This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 11 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.
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.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arizona. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 57 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. It costs about $15,399 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Arizona.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Arizona
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.
UT Austin also took the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $15,757 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on 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 $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Las Cruces, New Mexico is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.
NMSU Main Campus also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $10,235 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at NMSU Main Campus
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 #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M College Station, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $18,810 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Texas A&M College Station.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Texas A&M College Station
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Tempe. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k. ASU - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 7 ’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
ASU - Tempe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $14,033 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Northern Arizona University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. NAU 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 estimated yearly cost for Northern Arizona University is $12,675 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Northern Arizona University
With a ranking of #7, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.
University of Oklahoma also took the #7 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $21,812 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.
UNM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UNM is $16,557 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
Baylor University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Baylor is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waco, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Baylor, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Baylor University is $31,343 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Embry-Riddle Prescott is a small school located in Prescott, Arizona that handed out 2 ’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Embry-Riddle Prescott, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Embry-Riddle Prescott is $35,323 for Southwest Region Astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott
Texas Christian University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Fort Worth, Texas, and it awarded 1 ’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
TCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for TCU is $29,929 for southwest region astronomy students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
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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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