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2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Colorado

7 Ranked Colleges
164 Degrees Awarded
$17,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor's in Colorado

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Colorado” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Geological & Earth Sciences is the 84th most popular major in the country with 8,918 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 Colorado, there were 253 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,325 and $20,570 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 164 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,261 and $25,672 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Colorado” ranking analyzed 7 colleges that offered 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Colorado”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Colorado

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Colorado.

Top 7 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in Colorado

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Colorado that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the #1 spot on the list. Fort Collins, Colorado is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

Colorado State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Colorado” list. The estimated yearly cost for Colorado State University - Fort Collins is $18,668 for Colorado Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Colorado State University - Fort Collins

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Colorado Boulder. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Colorado. University of Colorado Boulder is a public institution located in Boulder, Colorado. The school has a large population, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CU - Boulder did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Colorado” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Colorado Boulder is $21,680 for colorado bachelor’s degree geology students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 CU - Boulder

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Colorado. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Colorado. University of Northern Colorado is located in Greeley, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

University of Northern Colorado not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Colorado” list. It costs about $15,714 for colorado bachelor’s degree geology students per year to attend University of Northern Colorado.

Full University of Northern Colorado Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#4

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Fort Lewis College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Colorado. Fort Lewis College is located in Durango, Colorado and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at FLC, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Colorado” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Fort Lewis College is $16,274 for Colorado Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Fort Lewis College

#5

Western Colorado University

Gunnison, Colorado

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Colorado that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Colorado University landed the #5 spot on the list. Western is a public institution located in Gunnison, Colorado. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Western, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Colorado” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Colorado University is $17,282 for colorado bachelor’s degree geology students.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Western Colorado University

#6 in overall quality

Metropolitan State University of Denver did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Colorado ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Denver, Colorado, this fairly large public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

MSU Denver also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Colorado” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Metropolitan State University of Denver is $14,257 for Colorado Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at MSU Denver

#7

Colorado Mesa University

Grand Junction, Colorado
#7 in overall quality

Colorado Mesa University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Colorado ranking. Colorado Mesa is a public institution located in Grand Junction, Colorado. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Colorado Mesa also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Colorado” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Colorado Mesa is $15,569 for colorado bachelor’s degree geology students.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Colorado Mesa 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

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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