2023 Most Focused Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in Illinois
14
Ranked Colleges
$27,800
Avg Cost*
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Geological & Earth Sciences is the 95th most popular major in the country with 8,124 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , geological & earth sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $38,869 and had an average of $22,278 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 177 geological & earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,736 and $21,688 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in geological & earth sciences. That schools that top this list have a program in geological & earth sciences in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Geological & Earth Sciences Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois geology students.
Top 14 Most Focused Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in Illinois
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Augustana College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois. Augustana College is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 7 ’s geology degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad 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 full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Augustana
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified ’s geology students in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad 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 more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 4 ’s geology degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Northeastern Illinois University 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 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 21 ’s geology degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s geology degrees to 16 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. The undergraduate 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Chicago
Wheaton College Illinois landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 10 ’s geology degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Wheaton College Illinois
Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 9 ’s geology degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.1% 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 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Northwestern University
Northern Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 23 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at NIU
Illinois State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois ranking. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 32 ’s geology degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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%.
Full Illinois State University Geological & Earth Sciences Report
With a ranking of #10, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. Olivet Nazarene is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 1 ’s geology degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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%.
Full Olivet Nazarene Geological & Earth Sciences Report
Western Illinois University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois ranking. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Western Illinois University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois ranking. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 29 ’s geology degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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%. 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 UIUC Geological & Earth Sciences Report
With a ranking of #13, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 3 ’s geology degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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 Eastern Illinois University
Concordia University, Chicago came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois ranking. Concordia University, Chicago is located in River Forest, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Concordia University, Chicago
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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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