2023 Most Popular Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics
151
Ranked Colleges
1,375
Degrees Awarded
$36,400
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Astronomy Major” ranking.
Astronomy & Astrophysics is the 219th most popular major in the country with 1,375 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Astronomy Major” ranking analyzed 151 colleges that offered a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in astronomy and astrophysics.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Most Well Attended Astronomy Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Most Well Attended Astronomy Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Astronomy Major”.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 76 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 - Santa Cruz
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Colorado Boulder. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major list. University of Colorado Boulder is a large school located in Boulder, Colorado that handed out 73 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Colorado Boulder
Out of the 151 schools in the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major 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 65 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 University of California - Berkeley Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Out of the 151 schools in the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 51 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Out of the 151 schools in the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maryland - College Park landed the #5 spot on the list. UMCP is a large school located in College Park, Maryland that handed out 45 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Maryland - College Park Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
University of Arizona landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major ranking. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 44 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Arizona
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major ranking. 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.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, 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.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UCLA
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major ranking. Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Ohio State
Princeton University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major ranking. Princeton is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Princeton University Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Harvard University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major ranking. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Harvard University
With a ranking of #11, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major list. The University of Texas at Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 34 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 The University of Texas at Austin
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Astronomy Major list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UW - Madison
California Institute of Technology ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Astronomy Major list. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Caltech
With a ranking of #13, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 28 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Chicago
University of Florida came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major ranking. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 ’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Florida Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major ranking, coming in at #16. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UIUC Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Florida Institute of Technology landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Melbourne, Florida, and it awarded 36 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Florida Institute of Technology
With a ranking of #18, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 25 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Virginia
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major ranking. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at U-M
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major ranking. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 UMN Twin Cities
Michigan State University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Astronomy Major list. Michigan State is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 22 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Michigan State
With a ranking of #22, University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major list. UMass Amherst is a large school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 20 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Massachusetts Amherst Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major ranking, coming in at #23. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 23 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Columbia
Whitman College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Walla Walla, Washington, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 19 diplomas to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Whitman College
With a ranking of #25, Boston University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Boston University
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