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2023 Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

11 Ranked Colleges
430 Degrees Awarded
$10,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 7,821 people earned their degree in geological and earth sciences, making the major the 95th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, geological and earth sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $38,705 and had an average of $23,383 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 430 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,405 and $25,612 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in geological and earth sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geological 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 geological 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 Geological & Earth Sciences Schools

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

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

1

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $7,698 for Plains States Region Geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Iowa State is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa State also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $9,766 for plains states region geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Full Iowa State University Geological & Earth Sciences Report

3
Carleton crest
Carleton College
Northfield, Minnesota

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carleton College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Northfield, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 21 degrees to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.

Carleton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Carleton is $6,208 for plains states region geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Carleton College

4

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Morris landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Morris, Minnesota, this small public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.

UMN Morris did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $3,941 for plains states region geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMN Morris.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Minnesota - Morris

5

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #5 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 19 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

UMN Duluth not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $7,843 for Plains States Region Geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMN Duluth.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at UMN Duluth

6
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $13,554 for plains states region geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Iowa.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, 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 full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Iowa

7

University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Mizzou is located in Columbia, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our plains states region geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Mizzou has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mizzou is $11,005 for plains states region geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Missouri - Columbia

8

Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Missouri State University - Springfield is located in Springfield, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Missouri State, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Missouri State University - Springfield is $12,381 for Plains States Region Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Geological & Earth Sciences at Missouri State

9
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

University of Kansas ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. KU is a large public school situated in Lawrence, Kansas. It awarded 27 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, KU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend KU is $15,666 for plains states region geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full KU Geological & Earth Sciences Report

10

University of Missouri - Kansas City ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Kansas City, Missouri, and it awarded 8 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

UMKC also took the #9 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - Kansas City is $12,724 for Plains States Region Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Missouri - Kansas City

11
Winona State crest
Winona State University
Winona, Minnesota

Winona State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geology Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Winona State University is a medium-sized school located in Winona, Minnesota that handed out 12 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

Winona State also took the #11 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $11,721 for plains states region geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Winona State.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 Geological & Earth Sciences at Winona State

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