by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Geology Major” ranking.
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.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Geology Major” ranking, we looked at 540 colleges that offer a degree in geology and earth sciences. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in geology and earth sciences.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 “Most Well Attended Geology Major”.
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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for geology students.
Out of the 540 schools in the Most Well Attended Geology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Mississippi State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Mississippi State is a large public school situated in Mississippi State, Mississippi. It awarded 177 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Out of the 540 schools in the Most Well Attended Geology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington State University landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Pullman, Washington, and it awarded 116 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Out of the 540 schools in the Most Well Attended Geology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #3 spot on the list. Texas A&M College Station is a large public school situated in College Station, Texas. It awarded 108 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
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 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%.
Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Texas A&M University - College Station
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Geology Major. This large school is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it awarded 75 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of North Carolina at Charlotte Geology & Earth Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia University in the City of New York. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Geology Major. Columbia is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 92 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
University of California - Irvine ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Geology Major list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 70 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at University of California - Irvine
Stanford University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major ranking, coming in at #7. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 64 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Stanford University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major ranking. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 62 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #9, University of Houston did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major list. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 60 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at University of Houston
University of Colorado Boulder came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Geology Major ranking. Located in Boulder, Colorado, this large public school awarded 59 diplomas to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major ranking. Bloomsburg is a public institution located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 58 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major ranking. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 54 students in 2020-2021.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Western Washington University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major ranking. Bellingham, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 53 students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Binghamton University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Geology Major list. Binghamton University is a fairly large public school situated in Vestal, New York. It awarded 51 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
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 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Binghamton University
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Geology Major list. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 50 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 49 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at University of California - Santa Cruz
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Geology Major list. Knoxville, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 49 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at UT Knoxville
West Virginia University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Geology Major ranking. WVU is a large public school situated in Morgantown, West Virginia. It awarded 49 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at West Virginia University
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Geology Major list. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 48 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major ranking, coming in at #19. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Texas Tech University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Geology Major ranking. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 47 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Texas Tech University
With a ranking of #22, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 46 degrees to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Montana State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major ranking, coming in at #22. MSU Bozeman is a fairly large school located in Bozeman, Montana that handed out 47 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Montana State University
With a ranking of #24, The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major list. The Graduate Center is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 43 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at The Graduate Center, CUNY
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 43 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
Not only did these schools make the top 54 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Lafayette, LA |
| 55 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX |
| 55 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 55 | Rice University | Houston, TX |
| 55 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 55 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 55 | Brigham Young University - Provo | Provo, UT |
| 55 | Florida International University | Miami, FL |
| 55 | Northern Arizona University | Flagstaff, AZ |
| 64 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
| 64 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA |
| 64 | Portland State University | Portland, OR |
| 64 | Brown University | Providence, RI |
| 68 | University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
| 68 | Fort Hays State University | Hays, KS |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 68 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
| 68 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| 72 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 73 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus | Cincinnati, OH |
| 73 | University of Northern Colorado | Greeley, CO |
| 73 | Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, TN |
| 73 | Missouri State University - Springfield | Springfield, MO |
| 73 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 78 | Carleton College | Northfield, MN |
| 78 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
| 78 | Northwestern University | Evanston, IL |
| 78 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 78 | Bridgewater State University | Bridgewater, MA |
| 78 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC |
| 78 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
