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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography (Income $0-$30k) in the Southeast Region

45 Ranked Colleges
705 Degrees Awarded
$8,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 5,476 people earned their degree in geography, making the major the 144th most popular in the United States.

Across the Southeast region, there were 1,081 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 705 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,277 and $25,415 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 45 colleges that offer a degree in geography. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geography programs and cost less that 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

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 a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography (Income $0-$30k) in the Southeast Region

#1

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 21 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $1,994 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Florida.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Full University of Florida Geography Report

#2

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 26 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $4,026 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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 95%.

Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Geography Report

#9 in overall quality

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 25 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

USF Tampa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus is $3,950 for southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low 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 more about Geography at University of South Florida - Main Campus

#4

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Richmond. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Richmond is a small private not-for-profit school situated in University of Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 7 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

URichmond also took the #3 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend URichmond is $9,112 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The 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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, 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.

Read more about Geography at University of Richmond

#5

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#18 in overall quality

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Florida State University is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 22 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Florida State, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $5,360 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Florida State.

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

Read more about Geography at Florida State University

#6

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#5 in overall quality

University of Georgia came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Athens, Georgia, this large public school handed out 43 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, UGA has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UGA is $7,541 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Georgia Geography Report

Florida International University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. FIU is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 4 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for FIU is $5,002 for southeast region bachelor’s degree 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%.

Read more about Geography at FIU

#8

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina
#13 in overall quality

Appalachian State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Appalachian State is a large school located in Boone, North Carolina that handed out 24 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Appalachian State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $7,169 for southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Appalachian State.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Geography at Appalachian State University

#9

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida
#25 in overall quality

Florida Atlantic University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. FAU is a large school located in Boca Raton, Florida that handed out 9 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at FAU, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for FAU is $6,085 for southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Geography at FAU

#10

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

Virginia Tech came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 28 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Virginia Tech also took the #4 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $11,138 for southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at Virginia Tech

#11

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

Northern Kentucky University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northern Kentucky University is a fairly large school located in Highland Heights, Kentucky that handed out 4 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,156 for southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NKU.

Read full report on Geography at Northern Kentucky University

#12

Fayetteville State University

Fayetteville, North Carolina

Fayetteville State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Fayetteville, North Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Fayetteville State University is $4,330 for southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Geography at Fayetteville State University

#13

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

James Madison University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, this large public school awarded 59 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

JMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $14,196 for southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend JMU.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Full JMU Geography Report

#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UT Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 22 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Knoxville, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is $10,224 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

#15

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school situated in Greensboro, North Carolina. It awarded 23 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UNC Greensboro is $8,853 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UNC Greensboro Geography Report

#16

Emory and Henry College

Emory, Virginia
#19 in overall quality

Emory and Henry College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Emory, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

Emory & Henry College also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for Emory & Henry College is $13,366 for southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive 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.

Full Emory & Henry College Geography Report

#14 in overall quality

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this large public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, Louisiana State University has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Louisiana State University is $8,433 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Geography at Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

#18

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky
#10 in overall quality

University of Kentucky came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Lexington, Kentucky, this large public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

UK not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $11,848 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UK.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geography at University of Kentucky

#19

West Virginia University

Morgantown, West Virginia

West Virginia University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Morgantown, West Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,213 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WVU.

Read more about Geography at WVU

#20

University of South Carolina - Columbia

Columbia, South Carolina
#20 in overall quality

University of South Carolina - Columbia came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of South Carolina - Columbia is a large school located in Columbia, South Carolina that handed out 28 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

UofSC also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend UofSC is $12,426 for southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, 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 90%.

Read more about Geography at UofSC

#21

University of North Alabama

Florence, Alabama

University of North Alabama ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Florence, Alabama is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UNA is $11,925 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Geography at University of North Alabama

#22

East Carolina University

Greenville, North Carolina

With a ranking of #22, East Carolina University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. East Carolina University is a large public school situated in Greenville, North Carolina. It awarded 12 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,026 for southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend East Carolina University.

Read full report on Geography at ECU

#23

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, Virginia
#7 in overall quality

University of Mary Washington ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMW is a public institution located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UMW also took the #7 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $12,988 for southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Mary Washington.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 Mary Washington Geography Report

#24

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina
#22 in overall quality

University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. UNC Charlotte is a large public school situated in Charlotte, North Carolina. It awarded 31 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Charlotte also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Charlotte is $11,991 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geography at UNC Charlotte

#25

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Wilmington, North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Wilmington came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of North Carolina at Wilmington is located in Wilmington, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Wilmington is $12,229 for southeast region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.

Full University of North Carolina at Wilmington Geography Report

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Couleur.

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