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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois

14 Ranked Colleges
140 Degrees Awarded
$27,800 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 7,821 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Illinois, there were 140 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,736 and $22,451 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in geological and earth sciences. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in geological and earth sciences.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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.

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

1
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 8 degrees to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Augustana College Geological & Earth Sciences Report

2

Out of the 14 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 10 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

3

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 located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Geological & Earth Sciences Report

4

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 Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at UIC

5
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

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. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 17 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 100%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Chicago

6
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Wheaton College Illinois

7
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 21 degrees to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Northwestern University

8

With a ranking of #8, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

Full NIU Geological & Earth Sciences Report

9
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Illinois State University Geological & Earth Sciences Report

10
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. Bourbonnais, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s geology degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Olivet Nazarene Geological & Earth Sciences Report

11

With a ranking of #11, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.

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

12

With a ranking of #12, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 19 degrees to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

13
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 1 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Eastern Illinois University

14
Concordia University, Chicago crest
Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 0 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Concordia University, Chicago

Notes and References

References

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