2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in California (With Aid)

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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.

Across California, there were 153 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $14,817 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 14 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 4 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.

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.

More Ways to Rank Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools

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 Master’s in California 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 Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid.

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

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$28,131 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 4 masters’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Master’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.

Full UCLA Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#2

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

#4 in overall quality

$18,658 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified masters’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Master’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 SDSU are $18,658.

Full SDSU Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#3

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

#3 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 #3 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 3 masters’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Santa Cruz are $28,952, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Santa Cruz

#4

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#2 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley also took the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347.

Full UC Berkeley Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

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