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Best Space Studies Schools Near Blacksburg, VA (2026)
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Blacksburg, Virginia is home to about 45,288 residents. Median household income is $48,070 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 69.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Virginia, the top-earning space studies-related role is Natural Sciences Managers at a median $150,570 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Space Studies Schools to Blacksburg
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer space studies programs near Blacksburg, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Blacksburg city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Blacksburg.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Sort:
#1
University of Virginia-Main Campus
📍
Charlottesville, VA
•
119.1 miles from Blacksburg
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Virginia schools on the Virginia space studies page.
Space Studies Wages Near Blacksburg
Blacksburg is part of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA metro area (BLS area code 13980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Astronomers
$128,930
VA statewide
$139,083
Physicists
$145,040
VA statewide
$156,462
Aerospace Engineers
$143,210
VA statewide
$154,488
Natural Sciences Managers
$150,570
VA statewide
$162,427
Atmospheric and Space Scientists
$83,880
VA statewide
$90,485
Engineers, All Other
$108,810
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
$117,379
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
$119,940
VA statewide
$129,385
Physical Scientists, All Other
N/A
VA statewide
–
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Blacksburg at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
45,288
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$48,070
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
69.7%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
92.7 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Blacksburg-Area Cities With Space Studies Programs
What are the highest-paying space studies roles near Blacksburg?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying space studies-related roles near Blacksburg are: Natural Sciences Managers ($150,570), Physicists ($145,040), Aerospace Engineers ($143,210). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Christiansburg instead of Blacksburg?
Christiansburg, VA is 6.3 miles from Blacksburg and has its own set of local space studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Blacksburg an affordable place to study space studies?
Blacksburg’s median household income of $48,070 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Blacksburg while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Virginia public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Data verified: September 7, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
