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2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

206 Ranked Colleges
4,954 Degrees Awarded
$5,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Geography is the 159th most popular major in the country with 4,954 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

This year’s “Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 206 colleges that offered a degree in geography. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geography programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the geography program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Geography Schools

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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 “Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Geography (Income $0-$30k)

1
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 206 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 11 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Geography Schools” list. It costs about $2,500 for Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Chicago.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Read full report on Geography at UChicago

2
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 206 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #2 spot on the list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 8 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Geography Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $245 for geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, 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%.

Read more about Geography at Northwestern University

3
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 97 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Geography Schools” ranking. It costs about $65 for Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UF.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Geography at UF

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 40 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Geography Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,981 for Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Geography at University of Wisconsin - Madison

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 81 degrees to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.

UCLA also took the #1 spot in our “Best Geography Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $9,037 for geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Read more about Geography at UCLA

6

With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

UIUC also took the #9 spot in our “Best Geography Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $4,858 for Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Geography at UIUC

7

University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 106 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle also made our “Best Geography Schools” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $5,194 for geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography at UW Seattle

8

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 38 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Geography Schools” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $3,753 for geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Geography Report

9
Middlebury crest
Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont

With a ranking of #9, Middlebury College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Middlebury, Vermont, and it awarded 20 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Middlebury did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Geography Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Middlebury College is $6,294 for geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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 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 Geography at Middlebury College

10

Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.

BYU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Geography Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Provo is $9,445 for Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Geography at BYU

11

With a ranking of #11, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.

Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Geography Schools” list. It costs about $7,068 for Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ohio State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 Geography at Ohio State University - Main Campus

12
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

Hunter College landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Hunter College is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 24 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Hunter is $396 for Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography at Hunter

13

University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of South Florida - Main Campus is located in Tampa, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $4,176 for Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Geography at USF Tampa

14

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 49 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Geography Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,698 for geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read full report on Geography at UMN Twin Cities

15

Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 35 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Geography Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,969 for geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ASU - Tempe.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Read full report on Geography at Arizona State University - Tempe

16
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire

With a ranking of #16, Dartmouth College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Hanover, New Hampshire. It awarded 39 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Dartmouth also made our “Best Geography Schools” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Dartmouth is $6,034 for geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Geography at Dartmouth

17

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 15 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $5,752 for Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.

Read more about Geography at IU Bloomington

18
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

University of Georgia came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Georgia is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 30 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

UGA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Geography Schools” list. It costs about $8,303 for Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UGA.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Geography at UGA

19

With a ranking of #19, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Geography Schools” list. It costs about $10,568 for Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Geography at UCSB

20
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Michigan State is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 24 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Michigan State is also in the top of our “Best Geography Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $6,927 for geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Michigan State University Geography Report

21
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, New York

Colgate University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Colgate is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hamilton, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, Colgate has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Geography Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,762 for geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Colgate University.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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. 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 full report on Geography at Colgate

22
Vassar crest
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, New York

Vassar College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Vassar College is a small school located in Poughkeepsie, New York that handed out 9 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Vassar also made our “Best Geography Schools” list, coming in at #23. The yearly cost to attend Vassar College is $10,535 for Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Read more about Geography at Vassar

23

With a ranking of #23, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $6,663 for geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSULB Geography Report

24
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 16 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Florida State is $4,950 for geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Florida State University Geography Report

25

With a ranking of #25, Central New Mexico Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. CNM is a fairly large school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 3 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $1,994 for geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Central New Mexico Community College.

Read full report on Geography at CNM

Rest of the Best 31 in Best Value Geography Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

Not only did these schools make the top 31 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
29
30
31

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