2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Astronomy & Astrophysics is the 222nd most popular major in the country with 1,268 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 874 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 59 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.
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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Featured schools near , edit
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,708 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 34 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $15,880 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid per year to attend UIUC.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UF is $6,302 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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 Wyoming. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. UW is a public institution located in Laramie, Wyoming. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,159 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students with aid per year to attend UW.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Harvard University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Harvard University is $15,386 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
With a ranking of #7, Princeton University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Princeton is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Princeton, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,317 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid per year to attend Princeton.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $14,279 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid per year to attend UCLA.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 13 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid list, U-M has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,336 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students with aid per year to attend U-M.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.
Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $23,306 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 13 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
UMN Twin Cities also took the #11 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $17,740 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 9 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $13,253 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Indiana University - Bloomington
University of Maryland - College Park landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school handed out 28 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMCP, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMCP is $19,045 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
University of Georgia came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UGA is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 10 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
UGA also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $13,649 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students with aid per year to attend UGA.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Arizona landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Arizona also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $15,016 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students with aid per year to attend University of Arizona.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Arizona
San Diego State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 3 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,788 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students with aid per year to attend SDSU.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $18,023 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full The University of Texas at Austin Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
With a ranking of #18, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. BYU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 6 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Provo is $13,322 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Brigham Young University - Provo
With a ranking of #19, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $19,173 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students with aid.
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 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 16 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Virginia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia is $20,397 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 97%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Virginia - Main Campus
Dartmouth College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. Hanover, New Hampshire is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
Dartmouth also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Dartmouth is $33,574 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid.
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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
University of California - Berkeley landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 53 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $15,329 for Bachelor’s Degree Astronomy students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Rutgers University - New Brunswick landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Rutgers University - New Brunswick is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
Rutgers New Brunswick not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $21,654 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid per year to attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Stony Brook University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Stony Brook University is located in Stony Brook, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Stony Brook University is $15,160 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at SUNY Stony Brook
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.
Ohio State also took the #23 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $17,616 for bachelor’s degree astronomy students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, 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 94%.
Narrow Results by Region
Southeast
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Southeast Region (With Aid)
Rocky Mountains
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Rocky Mountains Region (With Aid)
Middle Atlantic
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Middle Atlantic Region (With Aid)
Southwest
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Southwest Region (With Aid)
New England
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the New England Region (With Aid)
Plains States
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Plains States Region (With Aid)
Far Western US
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)
Great Lakes
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
General Physical Sciences
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Physical Sciences (With Aid)
Chemistry
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Chemistry (With Aid)
Physics
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Physics (With Aid)
Physics and Astronomy
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Physics and Astronomy (With Aid)
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology (With Aid)
Geological & Earth Sciences
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (With Aid)
Materials Sciences
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Materials Sciences (With Aid)
Other Physical Science
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Other Physical Science (With Aid)
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Bachelor's Degree Schools
Astronomy & Astrophysics students
Most Focused Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics
Astronomy & Astrophysics students
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Online Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools
Astronomy & Astrophysics students
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $0-$30k)
Astronomy & Astrophysics students with family income less than $30k
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k)
Astronomy & Astrophysics students with family income $48-$75k
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income Over $110k)
Astronomy & Astrophysics students with family income exceeding $110k
Highest Paid Bachelor's Degree Astronomy & Astrophysics Graduates
Astronomy & Astrophysics students
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics
Astronomy & Astrophysics students
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (With Aid)
Astronomy & Astrophysics students getting aid
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $30-$48k)
Astronomy & Astrophysics students with family income $30-$48k
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $75-$110k)
Astronomy & Astrophysics students with family income $75-$110k
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.
Featured Physical Sciences Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University
You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More > |
College Factual provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© College Factual – All Rights Reserved.