University Park, Pennsylvania · Public
Astronomy and Astrophysics at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
Use this school-and-field page as a fit screen, not a department ranking. It combines the 0.3% share of reported awards or completions in this field with $32,875 school-wide net price and $63,435 school-wide ten-year earnings before you compare peer schools.
Program snapshot
0.3% of reported awards or completions are in this field, a limited award concentration in federal data.
This major
- Award concentration
- 0.3% of awards
- Schools reporting awards
- 119
Admissions
- Acceptance rate (school)
- 60.6%
- Graduation rate
- 86.1%
Cost
- Avg net price (school)
- $32,875/yr
- 4-year cost (est.)
- $131,500
- Median debt
- $25,000
Outcomes
- Median earnings 10y
- $63,435/yr
- ROI grade (school)
- D
The percentage is the share of this school's reported awards or completions attributed to the field. It is not the share of enrolled students, a student headcount, or proof of department quality. College Scorecard price and earnings on this page are school-wide, not major-specific. Verify current credentials and department outcomes with the school.
Evidence used here: federal awards/completions share (0.3%), school-wide average net price ($32,875), school-wide ten-year median earnings ($63,435), and peer averages from 119 schools reporting awards in this field. Evidence not included: program enrollment, department-level salary, placement rate, course quality, licensure eligibility, certification, or exam pass-rate outcomes. This page stays available for users because the field appears in federal data, but it is not promoted for search indexing while its share of reported awards is below 1%.
School-level value among reporting colleges
Compared with 119 colleges reporting awards in this field.
The answer is a school-level value-screen grade of D, not a verified department verdict. Award concentration is below the national average award concentration; school-wide net price is higher than the peer average ($11,147 above), and school-wide ten-year median earnings are lower than the peer average ($8,375 below). Together, those school-level evidence points place Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus in the top 96% of this value ranking among colleges reporting awards in the field.
See the national program hub →Comparable programs
Peer schools below report awards in the same field and are sorted by school-level value grade.
Hartnell College Salinas, CA · 0.1% of reported awards · $2,039 net A+ Santiago Canyon College Orange, CA · 0.0% of reported awards · $2,129 net A+ 
Princeton University Princeton, NJ · 1.3% of reported awards · $6,128 net A+ Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA · 0.0% of reported awards · $4,152 net A+ University of Florida Gainesville, FL · 0.2% of reported awards · $6,541 net A+ Solano Community College Fairfield, CA · 0.1% of reported awards · $4,669 net A+ 
California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA · 4.3% of reported awards · $16,075 net A+ 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA · 0.1% of reported awards · $20,111 net A+ Questions about this program
What does the share of awards mean?
Astronomy and Astrophysics accounts for 0.3% of the awards or completions reported for Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus. That award concentration is higher than at 66% of schools in this field set and is below the national average award concentration. It does not estimate how many students are currently enrolled in the program.
How should I read the cost number?
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus's average net price is $32,875 per year, about $131,500 over four years. That is $11,147 above the $21,728 peer average, before your own aid package changes the final bill.
Are the earnings major-specific?
No. The $63,435 median earnings figure is school-wide ten years after entry. It is $8,375 below the $71,810 average among schools reporting this field, so treat it as an outcomes proxy rather than a department guarantee.
What should I compare next?
Start with award concentration, net price after aid, graduation rate, location, and whether the department publishes placement or licensure outcomes. EduGradify places Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus #114 of 119 on its school-level value rank among colleges reporting awards in this field.