2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid” 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 California, there were 153 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $14,817 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 15 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california doctor’s degree astronomy students with aid.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in California (With Aid)

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#2 in overall quality

$28,131 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 2 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UCLA

#2

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California

#1 in overall quality

$56,649 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid list. Caltech is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 7 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech also took the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of Technology are $56,649, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full California Institute of Technology Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#3

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#3 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347.

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

#4

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

#4 in overall quality

$28,952 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 4 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UC Santa Cruz Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (With Aid)

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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