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2022 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

8 Ranked Colleges
155 Degrees Awarded
$10,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

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 Illinois, there were 155 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,700 and $21,833 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered a degree in geological and earth sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geological and earth sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geological and earth sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Geological & 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 in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to 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 in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $3,995 for illinois geology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern University.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Northwestern

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $2,800 for illinois geology students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at UChicago

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 22 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,464 for illinois geology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full UIUC Geological & Earth Sciences Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #5 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $11,185 for illinois geology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UIC Geological & Earth Sciences Report

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #5 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,306 for illinois geology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SIUC.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at SIUC

#6

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $14,999 for illinois geology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Illinois State University

#7

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 20 degrees to qualified ’s geology students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,861 for illinois geology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend NIU.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at NIU

#8

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend WIU is $14,526 for Illinois Geology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full WIU Geological & 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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