Best Schools for Astronomy and Astrophysics in 2026
These are the top schools offering Astronomy and Astrophysics, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Astronomy and Astrophysics graduate earns $40,590/yr across 6 schools.
All Astronomy and Astrophysics Programs Ranked
Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO · Public |
47
46–48 |
$45,066/yr | 8.5x |
| 2 |
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA · Public |
46
44–47 |
$54,746/yr | 8.2x |
| 3 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI · Public |
43
42–44 |
$45,783/yr | 9.2x |
| 4 |
University of California-Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA · Public |
28
35–28 |
$35,171/yr | 5.0x |
| 5 |
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI · Public |
25
33–26 |
$33,373/yr | 4.2x |
| 6 |
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX · Public |
22
31–23 |
$29,404/yr | 5.3x |
Methodology
Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.