2023 Best Value Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
The Best Value Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 55 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best value experiences for astronomy students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools
Our analysis found Brigham Young University - Provo to be the best value school for astronomy and astrophysics students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the medium-sized city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
BYU undergraduate students pay an average of $6,120 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, BYU also is in the top 20% of our Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools ranking.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Brigham Young University - Provo
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Wyoming is a great value for astronomy and astrophysics students. UW is a fairly large public school located in the town of Laramie.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW are $16,957 a year.
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Out of the 55 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. SDSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Diego.
SDSU undergraduate students pay an average of $20,016 in tuition and fees each year.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Texas A&M University - College Station is a great value for astronomy and astrophysics students. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public school located in the city of College Station.
Texas A&M College Station undergraduate students pay an average of $38,855 in tuition and fees each year.
Texas A&M College Station also claimed a spot on our Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Full Astronomy & Astrophysics at Texas A&M University - College Station Report
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means The University of Texas at Austin is a great value for astronomy and astrophysics students. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UT Austin are $40,996 per year. While working on their degree, astronomy majors at UT Austin accumulate an average of around $25,982 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UT Austin also is in the top 5% of our Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools ranking.
Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at The University of Texas at Austin
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With a ranking of #6, Iowa State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for astronomy and astrophysics students. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public college with a very large student population.
Iowa State undergraduate students pay an average of $25,446 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Iowa State also did well on our Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #7, University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well on this year’s best value schools for astronomy and astrophysics students. Located in the medium-sized city of Las Vegas, UNLV is a public college with a very large student population.
UNLV undergraduate students pay an average of $24,828 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Nevada - Las Vegas Report
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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools list. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public school located in the large city of Minneapolis.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UMN Twin Cities are $33,818 a year. While working on their degree, astronomy majors at UMN Twin Cities accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, UMN Twin Cities is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools list.
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Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools ranking. Located in the town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at OHIO Athens are $22,810 per year.
Full Astronomy & Astrophysics at Ohio University - Athens Campus Report
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Cornell University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value astronomy and astrophysics programs. Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Cornell undergraduate students pay an average of $61,015 in tuition and fees each year.
Cornell also claimed a spot on our Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools in this category.
Request InformationAstronomy & Astrophysics by Region
View the Best Value 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 |
More Astronomy & Astrophysics Rankings
Astronomy & Astrophysics Related Majors for Astronomy
Astronomy & Astrophysics is one of 8 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Astronomy
| 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.
- 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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