2022 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in Minnesota

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 in Minnesota For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 8,918 people earned their degree in geological and earth sciences, making the major the 84th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, geological and earth sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $35,533 and had an average of $23,531 in loans still to pay off.

Across Minnesota, there were 126 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $25,887 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Geology Schools in Minnesota For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in geological and earth sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geological 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 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

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 in Minnesota 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. 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 Minnesota For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in Minnesota

#1

University of Minnesota - Morris

Morris, Minnesota

#4 in overall quality

$4,230 Average Net Price

$34,900 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Morris. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geology Schools in Minnesota For Those Making $0-$30k. UMN Morris is located in Morris, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.

UMN Morris did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Minnesota” list. It costs about $4,230 for Minnesota Geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMN Morris.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#2

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

#1 in overall quality

$7,266 Average Net Price

$45,406 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geology Schools in Minnesota For Those Making $0-$30k. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 34 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Minnesota” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $7,266 for Minnesota Geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#3

University of Minnesota - Duluth

Duluth, Minnesota

#3 in overall quality

$7,443 Average Net Price

$41,383 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools in Minnesota For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Duluth, Minnesota, this fairly large public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified ’s geology students in 2019-2020.

UMN Duluth also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Minnesota” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth is $7,443 for minnesota geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at UMN Duluth

#4

Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter, Minnesota

#2 in overall quality

$12,150 Average Net Price

$37,133 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Gustavus Adolphus College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools in Minnesota For Those Making $0-$30k list. Saint Peter, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s geology degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Gustavus Adolphus, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Minnesota” ranking. It costs about $12,150 for minnesota geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Gustavus Adolphus.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Gustavus Adolphus

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

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.

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >