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

Geoscience Engineering is the 304th most popular major in the country with 325 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, geoscience engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,772 and had an average of $25,238 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 177 geoscience engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,548 and $26,625 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geoscience Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geoscience engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geoscience engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geoscience engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Geoscience Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most 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 Geoscience Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region geoscience engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Geoscience Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, Minnesota

#3 in overall quality

$7,698 Average Net Price

$50,445 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geoscience Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UMN Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s geoscience engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Geoscience Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $7,698 for plains states region geoscience engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geoscience Engineering at UMN Twin Cities

2

Missouri University of Science and Technology
Rolla, Missouri

#1 in overall quality

$7,356 Average Net Price

$63,979 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Geoscience Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #2 spot on the list. Missouri University of Science and Technology is located in Rolla, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 140 ’s geoscience engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our plains states region geoscience engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Missouri University of Science and Technology has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Geoscience Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $7,356 for Plains States Region Geoscience Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Read full report on Geoscience Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology

3

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Rapid City, South Dakota

#2 in overall quality

$16,705 Average Net Price

$64,929 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Geoscience Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology landed the #3 spot on the list. SD Mines is a public institution located in Rapid City, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SD Mines not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Geoscience Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for SD Mines is $16,705 for Plains States Region Geoscience Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geoscience Engineering at SD Mines

• Best Value Colleges for Geoscience 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.