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Best Schools for Astronomy in Illinois
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the astronomy degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Astronomy
University Of Chicago tops our 2026 ranking of the best astronomy schools. Located in the city of Chicago, University Of Chicago is a very large private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 96%. About 32 astronomy degrees were awarded at University Of Chicago in the most recent year. Astronomy graduates of University Of Chicago earn a median of $81,002 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $15,854.
More information about a degree in astronomy from University Of Chicago
A rank of #2 makes University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign one of the top schools for astronomy. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign. About 85% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 24 astronomy students who graduated with this degree at University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign in the most recent data year. Graduates of the astronomy program make about $57,461 in their early career. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign graduates carry a median of $20,778 in student loans.
More information about a degree in astronomy from University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign
Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 3 schools evaluated.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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