2023 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in California (With Aid)
5
Ranked Colleges
252
Degrees Awarded
$17,900
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Getting Aid” 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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 5 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the astronomy and astrophysics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools
The astronomy school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid”.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for california astronomy students with aid.
Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in California (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 65 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $16,032 for California 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 43 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california astronomy students with aid list, UCLA has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,023 for California Astronomy students with aid per year to attend UCLA.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Los Angeles
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 15 ’s astronomy 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 estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $13,845 for california astronomy students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at San Diego State University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 76 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california astronomy students with aid list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $17,930 for California Astronomy students with aid per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 28 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Caltech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Caltech is $26,542 for california astronomy students with aid.
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. 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 more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at California Institute of Technology
