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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in Illinois

8 Ranked Colleges
98 Degrees Awarded
$19,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” 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 Illinois, there were 155 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,700 and $21,833 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 98 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” 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 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 Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree geology students.

Top 8 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in Illinois

#1

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Illinois State University is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $20,895 for illinois bachelor’s degree geology students.

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%.

Full Illinois State Geological & Earth Sciences Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $15,880 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

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

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 18 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #5 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,312 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geology students per year to attend UIC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at UIC

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $18,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at NIU

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #5 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 4 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at SIUC

#6

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree geology students per year to attend WIU.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Western Illinois University

#7

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

University of Chicago landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 6 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $27,315 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geology students per year to attend UChicago.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.

Full UChicago Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#7

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

Northwestern University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 10 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $24,664 for illinois bachelor’s degree geology students.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Northwestern

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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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