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2024 Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region

17 Ranked Colleges
961 Degrees Awarded
$16,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 7,821 people earned their degree in geological & earth sciences, making the major the 95th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, geological & earth sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $38,705 and had an average of $23,383 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 961 geological & earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,993 and $21,962 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 17 colleges that offer a degree in geological & earth sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geological & earth sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the geological & earth sciences program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Geological & Earth Sciences Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region geology students.

Top 17 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in the Southwest Region

1
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region. UH is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 102 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $13,721 for southwest region geology students per year to attend UH.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at UH

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region. Located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, this large public school handed out 30 degrees to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OSU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $14,237 for southwest region geology students per year to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

3

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #3 spot on the list. Texas A&M College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 144 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Texas A&M College Station also took the #1 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $18,919 for southwest region geology students per year to attend Texas A&M University - College Station.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Texas A&M College Station Geological & Earth Sciences Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 54 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.

UT Austin also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $18,350 for Southwest Region Geology students per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full UT Austin Geological & Earth Sciences Report

5
Texas Tech crest
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Tech University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 47 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

Texas Tech also took the #8 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech University is $16,194 for southwest region geology students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Texas Tech

6

With a ranking of #6, Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region list. Texas A&M Kingsville is a medium-sized school located in Kingsville, Texas that handed out 14 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M Kingsville, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $13,027 for Southwest Region Geology students per year to attend Texas A&M Kingsville.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Texas A&M Kingsville

7

With a ranking of #7, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region list. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 45 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region geology students list, University of Oklahoma has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $21,122 for Southwest Region Geology students per year to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Oklahoma

8

The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #8. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this large public school awarded 39 degrees to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.

UTSA also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio is $10,549 for Southwest Region Geology students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at The University of Texas at San Antonio

9
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #9. Northern Arizona University is a large public school situated in Flagstaff, Arizona. It awarded 26 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

NAU also took the #15 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NAU is $14,308 for Southwest Region Geology students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at NAU

10

The University of Texas at El Paso came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. The University of Texas at El Paso is a large school located in El Paso, Texas that handed out 18 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

UTEP also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $9,000 for Southwest Region Geology students per year to attend The University of Texas at El Paso.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso

11

University of Houston - Downtown landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. UH Downtown is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region geology students list, UH Downtown has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,044 for Southwest Region Geology students per year to attend UH Downtown.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at UH Downtown

12

Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 19 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

ASU - Tempe also took the #12 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $13,107 for southwest region geology students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Arizona State University - Tempe Geological & Earth Sciences Report

13
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 72 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Arizona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $13,358 for Southwest Region Geology students.

Full University of Arizona Geological & Earth Sciences Report

14

The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. The University of Texas at Arlington is a large public school situated in Arlington, Texas. It awarded 17 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Arlington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UT Arlington is $15,509 for Southwest Region Geology students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full The University of Texas at Arlington Geological & Earth Sciences Report

15

Sam Houston State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Huntsville, Texas, and it awarded 13 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

SHSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend SHSU is $15,035 for Southwest Region Geology students.

Full SHSU Geological & Earth Sciences Report

16

The University of Texas at Dallas landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. The University of Texas at Dallas is a large school located in Richardson, Texas that handed out 32 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Dallas, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Dallas is $15,526 for southwest region geology students.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at UT Dallas

17
Baylor crest
Baylor University
Waco, Texas

Baylor University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Geology Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #17. Baylor is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waco, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Baylor also took the #5 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Baylor University is $37,309 for southwest region geology students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Baylor University

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