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2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k

5 Ranked Colleges
252 Degrees Awarded
$20,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 1,375 people earned their degree in astronomy and astrophysics, making the major the 219th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, astronomy and astrophysics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,221 and had an average of $24,484 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 252 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $19,734 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in astronomy and astrophysics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent astronomy and astrophysics programs, but they also 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.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $75-$110k) in California

1

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Caltech is $20,010 for california astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate 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.

Full Caltech Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

2

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 65 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also took the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $21,601 for California Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Berkeley

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 43 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $20,697 for California Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UCLA

4
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #4 spot on the list. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $18,957 for California Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at SDSU

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 76 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $22,380 for California Astronomy students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad 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 University of California - Santa Cruz

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