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Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools

2023 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools

55 Colleges
$31,221 Avg Salary
$24,484 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Astronomy & Astrophysics School for You

In 2020-2021, 1,375 people earned a degree or certificate in astronomy and astrophysics, making the major the #221 most popular in the United States.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 55 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Colleges.

Top 10 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in the United States for astronomy and astrophysics students. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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The excellent programs at Illinois Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best astronomy and astrophysics schools in the United States. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

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The excellent programs at The University of Texas at Austin helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best astronomy and astrophysics schools in the United States. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, astronomy majors at UT Austin accumulate an average of around $25,982 in student debt.

Full Astronomy & Astrophysics at The University of Texas at Austin Report

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Rochester Institute of Technology is a great place for astronomy and astrophysics students. Located in the suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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#5

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Chicago is a great place for astronomy and astrophysics students. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

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University of California - Berkeley did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for astronomy and astrophysics students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that astronomy majors at UC Berkeley take out is $18,967.

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University of Maryland - College Park ranked #7 on this year’s Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools list. UMCP is a very large public school located in the suburb of College Park.

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#8

Williams College

Williamstown, MA

Williams College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for astronomy and astrophysics students. It came in at #8 on the list. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Williamstown.

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach ranked #10 on this year’s Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools list. Located in the small city of Daytona Beach, Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

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Astronomy & Astrophysics by Region

View the Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Astronomy & Astrophysics is one of 8 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 21,239
Physics 13,674
Geological & Earth Sciences 7,821
General Physical Sciences 3,823
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 1,140

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 the rest 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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