by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 4,954 people earned their degree in geography, making the major the 159th most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,492 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major” ranking analyzed 267 colleges that offered a degree in geography. That schools that top this list have a program in geography in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree geography students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend United States Air Force Academy. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major. USAFA is a small school located in USAF Academy, Colorado that handed out 56 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major. Pitt Johnstown is a small school located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that handed out 15 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major. Colorado Springs, Colorado is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 72 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Macalester College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major list. Macalester is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 15 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Middlebury College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major. Middlebury is a small school located in Middlebury, Vermont that handed out 20 bachelors’s geography 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
With a ranking of #6, Gustavus Adolphus College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major list. Gustavus Adolphus is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Peter, Minnesota. It awarded 10 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
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 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Clark University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. This small school is located in Worcester, Massachusetts, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s geography 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 87%.
United States Military Academy came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. Located in West Point, New York, this small public school awarded 23 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2020-2021.
Sonoma State University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Rohnert Park, California, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s geography 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%.
Emory and Henry College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. Emory and Henry College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Emory, Virginia. It awarded 7 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
University of Mary Washington did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking, coming in at #11. University of Mary Washington is a public institution located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Dartmouth College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking, coming in at #12. Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Hanover, New Hampshire. It awarded 39 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Concord University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major list. Located in Athens, West Virginia, this small public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2020-2021.
University of Hawaii at Hilo did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking, coming in at #14. Hilo, Hawaii is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
SUNY Oneonta ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major list. SUNY Oneonta is located in Oneonta, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Carthage College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking, coming in at #16. Carthage is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It awarded 10 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Florida-Online came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Vassar College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. This small school is located in Poughkeepsie, New York, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
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 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. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #19, Park University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major list. Park University is a medium-sized school located in Parkville, Missouri that handed out 35 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
Humboldt State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. Arcata, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
Keene State College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. Keene State is located in Keene, New Hampshire and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.
SUNY Geneseo did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking, coming in at #22. SUNY Geneseo is a public institution located in Geneseo, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Salisbury University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. Salisbury, Maryland is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 25 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%.
Augustana College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major list. Rock Island, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, 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 85%.
James Madison University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking, coming in at #25. This large school is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Not only did these schools make the top 41 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
