2023 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
7
Ranked Colleges
119
Degrees Awarded
$35,200
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Astronomy” 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.
Across the Southwest region, there were 119 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,770 and $25,982 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Astronomy” ranking analyzed 7 colleges that offered a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent astronomy and astrophysics programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the astronomy and astrophysics program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Astronomy”.
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.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Astronomy
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region vets studying astronomy.
Top 7 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
Out of the 7 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Astronomy that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #1 spot on the list. Texas A&M College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M College Station also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Texas A&M University - College Station supports 70,418 students, and 5 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 4 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,925. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Texas A&M College Station]](/colleges/texas-a-and-m-university-college-station/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 7 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Astronomy that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 44 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Arizona also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 2,131 of the 45,601 students enrolled at University of Arizona were GI Bill® students, of which 1,478 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,880. During this same period, 31 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Arizona offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Arizona]](/colleges/university-of-arizona/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Astronomy list. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying astronomy list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Arizona State University - Tempe supports 74,795 students, and 7,566 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 3,828 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,068. On top of their other funding sources, 672 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 86%.
Full Arizona State University - Tempe Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Astronomy. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s astronomy degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Oklahoma, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus, 12 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,720. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus]](/colleges/university-of-oklahoma-norman-campus/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 7 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Astronomy that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school handed out 34 degrees to qualified ’s astronomy students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying astronomy list, UT Austin has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 7 of the 50,476 students enrolled at UT Austin were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,893. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at The University of Texas at Austin]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-austin/student-life/veterans/)
Northern Arizona University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Astronomy ranking. Northern Arizona University is a public institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
NAU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 29,566 students enrolled at Northern Arizona University, 1,055 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 622 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,378. In addition to receiving other benefits, 56 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Northern Arizona University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Northern Arizona University Veteran Student Life Report
Baylor University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Astronomy ranking. This large school is located in Waco, Texas, and it awarded 3 ’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.
Baylor not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 876 of the 19,297 students enrolled at Baylor University were GI Bill® students, of which 593 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,744. During this same period, 263 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Baylor]](/colleges/baylor-university/student-life/veterans/)
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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.
college factual
