2023 Best Value Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences (Income $0-$30k)
181
Ranked Colleges
6,024
Degrees Awarded
$5,100
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 6,024 people earned their degree in geology and earth sciences, making the major the 125th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 181 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geology and earth sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geology and earth sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the geology and earth sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Geology & Earth Sciences Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 181 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 64 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,233 for geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Stanford University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 21 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $245 for geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Northwestern University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 62 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, U-M has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,670 for geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend U-M.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Geology & Earth Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 46 degrees to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison also made our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $3,981 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Madison.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Geology & Earth Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Williams College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Williams is a small school located in Williamstown, Massachusetts that handed out 11 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Williams also took the #16 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Williams College is $1,451 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Williams
Johns Hopkins University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Johns Hopkins University is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 18 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” list. It costs about $2,084 for geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Johns Hopkins.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Johns Hopkins University Geology & Earth Sciences Report
University of Florida landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.
UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UF is $65 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at UF
California Institute of Technology ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Caltech is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Caltech is $-539 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Caltech
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 43 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW Seattle has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $5,194 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Geology & Earth Sciences Report
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.
UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a top spot on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $3,753 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 95%.
Full UNC Chapel Hill Geology & Earth Sciences Report
University of California - Berkeley came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 24 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” list. It costs about $8,450 for geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Berkeley.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at University of California - Berkeley
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 19 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $4,858 for geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UIUC Geology & Earth Sciences Report
Cornell University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cornell is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 9 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell is $5,244 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Cornell
With a ranking of #14, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.
UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $7,698 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full UMN Twin Cities Geology & Earth Sciences Report
Smith College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Smith is a private not-for-profit institution located in Northampton, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Smith is in the top on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Smith is $9,215 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Smith College
University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Tampa, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus is $4,176 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at USF Tampa
University of Wyoming came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Laramie, Wyoming, this fairly large public school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.
UW also made our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wyoming is $6,905 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at University of Wyoming
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 34 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,995 for geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.
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 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%.
Full Purdue Geology & Earth Sciences Report
Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 108 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M College Station, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,220 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M University - College Station.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Texas A&M College Station
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 14 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also took the #19 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $9,037 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 University of California - Los Angeles Geology & Earth Sciences Report
Michigan State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 34 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.
Michigan State excels when it comes to geology quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State University is $6,927 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Michigan State Geology & Earth Sciences Report
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 48 diplomas to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,568 for Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UCSB Geology & Earth Sciences Report
University of Maryland - College Park came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UMCP is a large school located in College Park, Maryland that handed out 26 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UMCP is also in the top of our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of Maryland - College Park is $6,067 for geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at UMCP
With a ranking of #24, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $5,752 for geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full IU Bloomington Geology & Earth Sciences Report
William & Mary landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Williamsburg, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $5,972 for Geology 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 William & Mary Geology & Earth Sciences Report
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