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

22 Ranked Colleges
286 Degrees Awarded
$12,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 8,936 people earned their degree in geography and cartography, making the major the 107th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, geography and cartography graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,126 and had an average of $23,577 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 573 geography and cartography graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,050 and $19,376 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 286 geography and cartography graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 22 colleges that offer a degree in geography and cartography. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geography and cartography programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geography and cartography program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most 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 a Bachelor’s in the Plains States 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 Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 22 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography & Cartography (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities also took the #5 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,266 for Plains States 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 93%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UMN Twin Cities Geography & Cartography Report

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UMN Duluth is a fairly large school located in Duluth, Minnesota that handed out 12 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Duluth, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Duluth is $7,443 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 & Cartography at UMN Duluth

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Columbia. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, Mizzou has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $10,940 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Missouri - Columbia.

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

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at University of Missouri - Columbia

#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #4 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, UNI has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $10,757 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Northern Iowa Geography & Cartography Report

#5

Park University

Parkville, Missouri

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Park University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Parkville, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.

Park University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Park University is $13,622 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Park University

#6

Macalester College

Saint Paul, Minnesota

With a ranking of #6, Macalester College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Macalester did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Macalester College is $10,158 for Plains States 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. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.

Full Macalester Geography & Cartography Report

#7

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#15 in overall quality

Saint Cloud State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. St. Cloud State University is a public institution located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Cloud State University also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend St. Cloud State University is $10,688 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Saint Cloud State University Geography & Cartography Report

University of Nebraska - Lincoln came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lincoln, Nebraska is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

UNL also took the #11 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNL is $12,216 for plains states 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 85%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

#9

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota

Bemidji State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Bemidji, Minnesota, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Bemidji State University also took the #16 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $10,632 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bemidji State University.

Full Bemidji State University Geography & Cartography Report

#10

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota

University of North Dakota came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UND is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, UND has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of North Dakota is $11,092 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at UND

#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UNOMAHA is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

UNOMAHA also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend UNOMAHA is $10,490 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of Nebraska at Omaha Geography & Cartography Report

#12

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#9 in overall quality

University of Iowa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $12,975 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Iowa.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, 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 88%.

Full Iowa Geography & Cartography Report

Northwest Missouri State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. This medium-sized school is located in Maryville, Missouri, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwest also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for Northwest Missouri State University is $9,990 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Northwest

Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Mankato, Minnesota, this fairly large public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, Minnesota State Mankato has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State Mankato is $11,057 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Minnesota State University - Mankato

#15

Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter, Minnesota

Gustavus Adolphus College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Saint Peter, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Gustavus Adolphus, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Gustavus Adolphus is $12,150 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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 88%.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Gustavus Adolphus College

#16

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, South Dakota State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Brookings, South Dakota, this fairly large public school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

South Dakota State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $15,285 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend South Dakota State.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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%.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at South Dakota State University

#17

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas

Kansas State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Kansas State University is a large school located in Manhattan, Kansas that handed out 9 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

K -State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for K -State is $14,232 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at K -State

#18

University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMKC is located in Kansas City, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

UMKC also took the #18 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - Kansas City is $12,065 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at University of Missouri - Kansas City

#22 in overall quality

Missouri Southern State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Missouri Southern State University is a public institution located in Joplin, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Missouri Southern also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $7,882 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Missouri Southern State University.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Missouri Southern

Missouri State University - Springfield ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Missouri State University - Springfield is a large school located in Springfield, Missouri that handed out 20 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Missouri State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $12,527 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Missouri State.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Missouri State University - Springfield

#21

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

University of Kansas landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. KU is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

KU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Kansas is $14,387 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Full University of Kansas Geography & Cartography Report

#22

University of St Thomas Minnesota

Saint Paul, Minnesota
#6 in overall quality

University of St Thomas Minnesota landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UST MN is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, UST MN has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of St Thomas Minnesota is $27,460 for Plains States 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 87%. The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 UST MN Geography & Cartography 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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