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2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate

13 Ranked Colleges
90 Degrees Awarded
$34,400 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 the Great Lakes region, there were 818 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,990 and $23,096 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geological and earth sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geological and earth sciences programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the geological and earth sciences program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate”.

Top 13 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate list. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 9 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M also took the #3 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Of the 47,907 students enrolled at U-M, 570 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 325 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $27,058. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. U-M offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Veteran Student Life Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate. Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 doctorate’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Ohio State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.According to our most recent data, Ohio State University - Main Campus supports 61,369 students, and 2 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Ohio State University - Main Campus does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 94%.

Full Ohio State Veteran Student Life Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 6 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Wisconsin - Madison supports 44,640 students, and 4 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 University of Wisconsin - Madison Veteran Student Life Report

4

Out of the 13 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #4 spot on the list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 10 of the 52,679 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign/student-life/veterans/)

5
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate list. Purdue is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.According to our most recent data, Purdue supports 46,655 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,765. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Purdue Veteran Student Life Report

6
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 9 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

UChicago also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Chicago supports 17,834 students, and 241 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 113 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,948. On top of their other funding sources, 58 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Full University of Chicago Veteran Student Life Report

7

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Of the 43,064 students enrolled at IU Bloomington, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. IU Bloomington does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full IU Bloomington Veteran Student Life Report

8
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate list. Located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified doctorate’s geology students in 2020-2021.

WMU also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #10.Of the 19,887 students enrolled at WMU, 584 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 327 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,981. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Read More…

9

Miami University - Oxford landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Oxford, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s geology students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Miami University - Oxford, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 18,880 students enrolled at Miami University - Oxford, 405 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 259 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,877. On top of their other funding sources, 6 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Miami University - Oxford offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, 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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

10

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified doctorate’s geology students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region doctor’s degree vets studying geology list, UIC has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 33,518 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Chicago, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,878. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Veteran Student Life Report

11

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate ranking. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s geology degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

UC also took the #13 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 909 of the 40,826 students enrolled at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus were GI Bill® students, of which 498 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,806. To help with additional expenses, 15 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UC Veteran Student Life Report

12
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

With a ranking of #12, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate list. Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Michigan State also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9.According to our most recent data, Michigan State University supports 49,695 students, and 2 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,686. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read More…

13
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Geology for a Doctorate ranking. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 5 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Of the 22,603 students enrolled at Northwestern University, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $399. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 97%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Northwestern]](/colleges/northwestern-university/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

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