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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income Over $110k) in the Far Western US Region

7 Ranked Colleges
168 Degrees Awarded
$30,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Vallue Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making Over $110k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Vallue Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making Over $110k” ranking.

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.

For this year’s “Best Vallue Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making Over $110k” ranking, we looked at 7 colleges that offer a degree 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Vallue Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making Over $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. 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.

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Best Vallue Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making Over $110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make more than $110k.

Top 7 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income Over $110k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Vallue Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making Over $110k. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $14,788 for far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

Full SDSU Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Vallue Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making Over $110k list. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make more than $110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UCLA

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Hawaii at Manoa. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Vallue Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, this fairly large public school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

UH Manoa also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for University of Hawaii at Manoa is $15,030 for far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make more than $110k.

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%.

Full UH Manoa Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Vallue Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making Over $110k. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 38 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle also took the #6 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $13,297 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UW Seattle.

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

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UW Seattle

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #5 for the Best Vallue Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making Over $110k. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $15,329 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make more than $110k.

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

#6

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making Over $110k list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $18,186 for far western us region bachelor’s degree astronomy students whose families make more than $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 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%.

Full UC Santa Cruz Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#7

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#1 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #7. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Caltech also took the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Caltech is $24,274 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students whose families make more than $110k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Caltech

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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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