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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $75-$110k) in the Far Western US Region

41 Ranked Colleges
1,228 Degrees Awarded
$16,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 the Far Western US region, there were 1,851 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,136 and $22,606 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,228 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 41 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k”.

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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $75-$110k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 41 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 31 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k list, Stanford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $10,631 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Stanford.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Stanford University Geological & Earth Sciences Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $12,916 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Cal State Fullerton

Out of the 41 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #3 spot on the list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $14,544 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, 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 89%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#4

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 3 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech also took the #1 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $12,788 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend California Institute of Technology.

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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Caltech

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 10 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $9,576 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State LA Geological & Earth Sciences Report

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 116 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $18,110 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The 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 Geological & Earth Sciences at UW Seattle

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $11,743 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at CSUB

With a ranking of #8, University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a large public school situated in Las Vegas, Nevada. It awarded 41 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UNLV not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $15,165 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Nevada - Las Vegas

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Davis landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 29 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k list, UC Davis has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $17,622 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, 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.

Full University of California - Davis Geological & Earth Sciences Report

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #10. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $17,944 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Cal Poly Pomona

#11

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $18,395 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at UCR

California State University - Sacramento ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also took the #21 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $15,812 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 Sac State

University of Nevada - Reno ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. UNR is a public institution located in Reno, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNR also took the #15 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNR is $18,336 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Nevada - Reno

California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $10,904 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive 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 CSUDH

#15

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 69 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k list, UCSB has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $22,226 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 University of California - Santa Barbara

#16

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

University of California - Berkeley ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #4 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $21,401 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low 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%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Berkeley

#17

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k list, UCLA has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $19,590 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UCLA.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 students.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles

University of California - Merced landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Merced, California, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Merced also took the #13 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $20,450 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of California - Merced.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Merced

#19

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 15 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $13,611 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State University - San Bernardino Geological & Earth Sciences Report

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $12,381 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Stanislaus

California State University - Fresno ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $11,819 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Fresno Geological & Earth Sciences Report

With a ranking of #22, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #11 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $19,851 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Irvine

#23

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon

Portland State University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in Portland, Oregon, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Portland State University is $17,077 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Portland State University Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#24

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $18,766 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend San Diego State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at San Diego State University

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 37 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #5 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $22,585 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

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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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