Best Colleges for Astrophysics

INTRODUCTION

If you think life as an astrophysicist, physics simulation software engineer, or programmer analyst sounds interesting, then a degree in astrophysics may just be for you. You could even become the scientist that saves the world from a giant meteor!

POPULARITY

Astrophysics is the 340th most popular degree in America, with 244 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #341 Native American Studies, and narrowly lost to #339 Home Economics Teacher Education.

The degree is offered at a total of 43 colleges across the nation, and is the 295th most widely offered degree. It is only offered at 19% of the Top 100 Best Colleges in America.

It is also worth noting that a bit below 3/7ths of colleges offering astrophysics are public making it a pretty accessible field.

The far west produces the most astrophysics graduates, largely led by University of California-Berkeley, while it’s the Big Ten Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from University of California-Berkeley and University of California-Los Angeles.

All that being said, no individual school produces more astrophysics graduates than Arizona State University-Tempe, which graduated 36 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study astrophysics). More students studied astrophysics as a percentage of total students at California Institute of Technology than any other college.

We wish you luck on your college search. We hope you enjoy Authority's 2022 official Best Colleges for Astrophysics list. Some of our picks may surprise you!