2026 Best Value Planetary Astronomy & Science Schools in the Southwest Region
[Planetary Astronomy & Science](/majors/physical-sciences/astronomy-and-astrophysics/planetary-astronomy-and-science/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong planetary astronomy & science education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for planetary astronomy & science students.
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2026 Best Value Planetary Astronomy & Science Schools in the Southwest Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the planetary astronomy & science degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Planetary Astronomy & Science Schools
For return on investment in planetary astronomy & science, no school beat University Of Arizona this year. University Of Arizona is a very large public school located in the city of Tucson. In-state tuition and fees average $13,573, with out-of-state students paying around $39,903. Students borrow a median of $25,406 to complete the planetary astronomy & science program here. Soon after graduation, planetary astronomy & science degree recipients from University Of Arizona generally make around $50,834. That is a strong return on a $25,406 median debt. The acceptance rate is 86%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked 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 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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