2023 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Geophysical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains 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 Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 325 people earned their degree in geological and geophysical engineering, making the major the 726th most popular in the United States.

Across the Rocky Mountains region, there were 74 geological and geophysical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geological and geophysical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geological and geophysical engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geological and geophysical engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region geological & geophysical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Geophysical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

1

Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado

#1 in overall quality

$16,977 Average Net Price

$72,191 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Colorado School of Mines. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Golden, Colorado is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geological and geophysical engineering degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mines, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mines is $16,977 for Rocky Mountains Region Geological & Geophysical Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Geological & Geophysical Engineering at Mines

2

University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

#2 in overall quality

$10,431 Average Net Price

$51,388 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Utah. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Salt Lake City, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geological and geophysical engineering degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

U of U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for U of U is $10,431 for rocky mountains region geological & geophysical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.

Full U of U Geological & Geophysical Engineering Report

3

Montana Technological University
Butte, Montana

#3 in overall quality

$11,954 Average Net Price

$63,042 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Montana Technological University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Butte, Montana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geological and geophysical engineering degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region geological & geophysical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Montana Tech has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Montana Technological University is $11,954 for rocky mountains region geological & geophysical engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Geological & Geophysical Engineering at Montana Tech

• Best Value Colleges for Geological & Geophysical Engineering (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.