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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

7 Ranked Colleges
92 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Geology & Earth Sciences is the 101st most popular major in the country with 7,036 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 128 geology and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 92 geology and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geology and earth sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geology and earth sciences programs that also have a lower cost than 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.

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 Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 7 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern also made our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $6,452 for illinois bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Northwestern University

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,351 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,683 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.

Full UIC Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,346 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at NIU

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #6 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $14,985 for illinois bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#6

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $19,080 for illinois bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois State Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#7

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Western Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. WIU is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 1 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also made our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $15,912 for illinois bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Western Illinois University

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Kelvinsong.

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