2023 Most Popular Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in Pennsylvania
9
Ranked Colleges
102
Degrees Awarded
$32,900
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in Pennsylvania” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 Pennsylvania, there were 102 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,853 and $27,000 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in Pennsylvania” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in astronomy and astrophysics.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 in Pennsylvania” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in Pennsylvania
The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania astronomy students.
Top 9 Most Popular Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in Pennsylvania
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carnegie Mellon University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in Pennsylvania list. This fairly large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 10 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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. 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 Carnegie Mellon
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Villanova University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in Pennsylvania list. Villanova University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full Villanova Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Out of the 9 schools in the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Swarthmore College landed the #3 spot on the list. Swarthmore is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. It awarded 6 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 86%, 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Swarthmore College Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
Out of the 9 schools in the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Lycoming College landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Lycoming
Out of the 9 schools in the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Haverford College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Haverford College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Franklin and Marshall College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in Pennsylvania list. Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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. 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%.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Franklin and Marshall College
Lehigh University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in Pennsylvania list. This medium-sized school is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 3 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Lehigh Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in Pennsylvania ranking. University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is a large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 1 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Pitt
Bryn Mawr College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in Pennsylvania ranking. This small school is located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 0 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Bryn Mawr Astronomy & Astrophysics Report
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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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