by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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.
Across Illinois, there were 140 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,736 and $22,451 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 88 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in geological and earth sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular geological and earth sciences programs in the United States.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 “Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.
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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree geology students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 19 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geology students 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 11 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The impressive undergraduate 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 11 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Geological & Earth Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Augustana College. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s. Augustana College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 8 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.
Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Geological & Earth Sciences Report
Illinois State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology 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%.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Illinois State University
University of Chicago landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 6 bachelors’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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Chicago Geological & Earth Sciences Report
With a ranking of #8, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Northeastern Illinois University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Northeastern Illinois University
Western Illinois University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s ranking. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 3 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Wheaton College Illinois landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Wheaton, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Full Wheaton College Illinois Geological & Earth Sciences Report
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. Olivet Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 2 bachelors’s geology degrees 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 University Geological & Earth Sciences Report
With a ranking of #13, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s list. Eastern Illinois University is located in Charleston, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.
Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Geology Major in Illinois for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #14. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 0 bachelors’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 full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Concordia University, Chicago
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
