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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Far Western US Region

10 Ranked Colleges
203 Degrees Awarded
$37,000 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region

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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2021-2022, 1,396 people earned their degree in astronomy & astrophysics, making the major the 219th most popular in the United States. In , astronomy & astrophysics graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $29,129 and had an average of $23,581 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 285 astronomy & astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $19,950 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 203 astronomy & astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,948 and $20,385 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in astronomy & astrophysics.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region”.

Top 10 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Far Western US Region

1
Whitman crest
Whitman College
Walla Walla, Washington

Out of the 10 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Whitman College landed the #1 spot on the list. Walla Walla, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s astronomy degrees to 9 students in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Whitman College

2

Out of the 10 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 49 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s astronomy students in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.

Full California Institute of Technology Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

4

Out of the 10 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Hawaii at Hilo landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Hilo, Hawaii, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Hawaii at Hilo

5

Out of the 10 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #5 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 48 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Berkeley

6

With a ranking of #6, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region list. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 37 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.

Full UW Seattle Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

7

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 41 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Los Angeles

8

University of Hawaii at Manoa came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. UH Manoa is a fairly large public school situated in Honolulu, Hawaii. It awarded 7 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Hawaii at Manoa

9
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 4 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at San Diego State University

10
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Astronomy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #10. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 1 bachelors’s astronomy degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 University of Southern California

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