2023 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia
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Ranked Colleges
144
Degrees Awarded
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Virginia, there were 144 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,567 and $23,195 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 4 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.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the geological and earth sciences program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, this medium-sized public school handed out 27 diplomas to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.
William & Mary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $10,995 for Virginia Geology students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 William & Mary
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 26 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $18,372 for Virginia Geology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Virginia Tech.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 Virginia Tech
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 19 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia geology students whose families make $48-$75k list, GMU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for George Mason University is $19,066 for virginia geology students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Geological & Earth Sciences at GMU
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 34 students in 2020-2021.
JMU also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $19,216 for virginia geology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend James Madison University.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at James Madison University
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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
- *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
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