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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major

576 Ranked Colleges
7,821 Degrees Awarded
$32,000 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 7,821 people earned their degree in geological and earth sciences, making the major the 95th most popular in the United States. 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.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major” ranking analyzed 576 colleges that offered a degree in geological and earth sciences. That schools that top this list have a program in geological and 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

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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” 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for geology students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences

1
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United States Coast Guard Academy
New London, Connecticut

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend United States Coast Guard Academy. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. United States Coast Guard Academy is a small school located in New London, Connecticut that handed out 27 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

Full United States Coast Guard Academy Geological & Earth Sciences Report

2
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Northland College
Ashland, Wisconsin

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northland College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major. Northland is located in Ashland, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.

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.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Northland College

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 31 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Caltech Geological & Earth Sciences Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. Socorro, New Mexico is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at New Mexico Tech

5
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Carleton College
Northfield, Minnesota

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carleton College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major. Carleton College is located in Northfield, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.

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 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Carleton College

6
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Blackfeet Community College
Browning, Montana

Blackfeet Community College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major ranking. BCC is a small school located in Browning, Montana that handed out 4 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

Full BCC Geological & Earth Sciences Report

7
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Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado

Colorado School of Mines ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Golden, Colorado, and it awarded 58 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Mines

8
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Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, Mississippi

Mississippi State University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. Mississippi State is a public institution located in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The school has a large population, and it awarded 181 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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 Mississippi State

9
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Colorado College
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado College ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. This small school is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and it awarded 16 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Colorado College

10
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United States Naval Academy
Annapolis, Maryland

United States Naval Academy did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major ranking, coming in at #10. United States Naval Academy is a small public school situated in Annapolis, Maryland. It awarded 32 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at United States Naval Academy

11
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Bowdoin College
Brunswick, Maine

Bowdoin College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major ranking. This small school is located in Brunswick, Maine, and it awarded 17 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full Bowdoin College Geological & Earth Sciences Report

12
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Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is a medium-sized public school situated in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It awarded 58 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Bloomsburg

13
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University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown
Johnstown, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #13, University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown is a small school located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that handed out 14 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown Geological & Earth Sciences Report

14
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Susquehanna University
Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

Susquehanna University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. Susquehanna University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 88%.

Full Susquehanna University Geological & Earth Sciences Report

15

With a ranking of #15, Hobart and William Smith Colleges did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. This small school is located in Geneva, New York, and it awarded 15 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.

Full Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geological & Earth Sciences Report

16
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University of Pittsburgh - Bradford
Bradford, Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh - Bradford ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. Pitt Bradford is a public institution located in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad 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 Pittsburgh - Bradford

17
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Beloit College
Beloit, Wisconsin

Beloit College ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. Beloit College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Beloit, Wisconsin. It awarded 7 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Beloit

18

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major ranking, coming in at #18. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is a small public school situated in Rapid City, South Dakota. It awarded 11 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at SD Mines

19

Montana Technological University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major ranking. Montana Tech is a small school located in Butte, Montana that handed out 8 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Montana Tech

20
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Bates College
Lewiston, Maine

Bates College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major ranking. Located in Lewiston, Maine, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 12 degrees to qualified ’s geology students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Bates College Geological & Earth Sciences Report

21
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University of Florida-Online
Gainesville, Florida

With a ranking of #21, University of Florida-Online did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 18 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Florida-Online

22
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Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major ranking, coming in at #22. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s geology degrees to 100 students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 Stanford

23
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Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia

Washington and Lee University ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. Lexington, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s geology degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Washington and Lee

24

With a ranking of #24, University of Alaska Fairbanks did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major list. UAF is a public institution located in Fairbanks, Alaska. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full University of Alaska Fairbanks Geological & Earth Sciences Report

25
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Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

Occidental College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major ranking. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 9 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Oxy

Rest of the Best 50 in Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
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Union College New York
Schenectady, New York
27
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Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts
28
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Marietta College
Marietta, Ohio
29
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Whitman College
Walla Walla, Washington
30
31
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Allegheny College
Meadville, Pennsylvania
32
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Juniata College
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
33
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St Lawrence University
Canton, New York
34
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Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts
35
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Salish Kootenai College
Pablo, Montana
36
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SUNY Geneseo
Geneseo, New York
37
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Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, Washington
38
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Fort Lewis College
Durango, Colorado
39
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Hamilton College
Clinton, New York
40
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The Graduate Center, CUNY
New York, New York
41
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University of Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
42
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Lawrence University
Appleton, Wisconsin
43
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University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
44
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Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington
45
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Macalester College
Saint Paul, Minnesota
46
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Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
47
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Montana State University
Bozeman, Montana
48
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Washington State University
Pullman, Washington
49
50
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Albion College
Albion, Michigan

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Schools Highly Focused on Geology Major

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Lake Superior State University Sault Ste Marie, MI
52 University of Minnesota - Morris Morris, MN
53 Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA
54 Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI
55 Middlebury College Middlebury, VT
56 Centenary College of Louisiana Shreveport, LA
57 Lafayette College Easton, PA
58 Humboldt State University Arcata, CA
59 Guilford College Greensboro, NC
60 Earlham College Richmond, IN
61 Wright State University - Main Campus Dayton, OH
62 Hanover College Hanover, IN
63 Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA
64 Trinity University San Antonio, TX
65 SUNY Potsdam Potsdam, NY
Rank College Location
66 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
67 Eastern Connecticut State University Willimantic, CT
68 Brown University Providence, RI
69 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
70 Rice University Houston, TX
71 Dartmouth College Hanover, NH
72 University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA
73 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH
74 MSU Texas Wichita Falls, TX
75 SUNY New Paltz New Paltz, NY
76 Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA
77 Western Colorado University Gunnison, CO
78 Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA
79 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
80 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC
81 East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN
82 University of Hawaii at Hilo Hilo, HI
83 Rocky Mountain College Billings, MT
84 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
85 University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS
86 Westminster College Utah Salt Lake City, UT
87 Sul Ross State University Alpine, TX

Notes and References

References

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