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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences in Virginia

5 Ranked Colleges
100 Degrees Awarded
$20,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Virginia” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 7,036 people earned their degree in geology and earth sciences, making the major the 101st most popular in the United States.

Across Virginia, there were 116 geology and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 100 geology and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in geology and earth sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geology and earth sciences programs, but they also 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Geology & Earth Sciences Schools

The geology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia”.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia bachelor’s degree geology students.

Top 5 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences in Virginia

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia. Virginia Tech is a large school located in Blacksburg, Virginia that handed out 19 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Virginia Tech also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $21,198 for virginia bachelor’s degree geology students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Virginia Tech

#2

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #2 spot on the list. James Madison University is a public institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend James Madison University is $22,169 for virginia bachelor’s degree geology students.

The low 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 89%.

Full James Madison University Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#3

Radford University

Radford, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Radford University landed the #3 spot on the list. Radford is a fairly large public school situated in Radford, Virginia. It awarded 8 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Radford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $16,447 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Geology students per year to attend Radford.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Radford University

#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this large public school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

GMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for George Mason University is $21,048 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at GMU

#5

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

William & Mary also took the #1 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $19,800 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 93%.

Full William & Mary Geology & Earth Sciences Report

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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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