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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography & Cartography in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

22 Ranked Colleges
286 Degrees Awarded
$17,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid

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 “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Geography & Cartography is the 107th most popular major in the country with 8,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 22 colleges that offer a degree in geography and cartography. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geography and cartography programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the geography and cartography program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The geography school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid”.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 22 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography & Cartography in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

#1

Park University

Parkville, Missouri

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Park University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid 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 also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Park University is $15,579 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Park University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mizzou, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mizzou is $16,001 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, 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 89%.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at University of Missouri - Columbia

#3

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Northern Iowa is a medium-sized school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 14 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $15,620 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid per year to attend UNI.

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

Read more about Geography & Cartography at UNI

#4

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,740 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at UMN Twin Cities

#5

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#15 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Cloud State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Saint Cloud State University is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

St. Cloud State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Saint Cloud State University is $14,267 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Saint Cloud State University

#19 in overall quality

University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Omaha, Nebraska is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

UNOMAHA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nebraska at Omaha is $14,040 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at UNOMAHA

#7

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of Iowa did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $19,145 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid per year to attend Iowa.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Iowa Geography & Cartography Report

#8 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Duluth 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 Getting Aid ranking. Located in Duluth, Minnesota, this fairly large public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

UMN Duluth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $17,067 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid per year to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth.

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

Full University of Minnesota - Duluth Geography & Cartography Report

#9

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota

With a ranking of #9, Bemidji State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Bemidji State University is located in Bemidji, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Bemidji State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $15,868 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid per year to attend Bemidji State University.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Bemidji State University

#10

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota

University of North Dakota ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, this fairly large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid 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 $15,738 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at UND

With a ranking of #11, Northwest Missouri State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Northwest Missouri State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Maryville, Missouri. It awarded 6 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid list, Northwest has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwest Missouri State University is $12,354 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Northwest

Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school situated in Mankato, Minnesota. It awarded 11 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Minnesota State Mankato also took the #17 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Minnesota State Mankato is $16,221 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UNL is a public institution located in Lincoln, Nebraska. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees 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 University of Nebraska - Lincoln is $17,208 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 University of Nebraska - Lincoln

#14

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota
#10 in overall quality

South Dakota State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Brookings, South Dakota, this fairly large public school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

South Dakota State also took the #10 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend South Dakota State is $19,252 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full South Dakota State University Geography & Cartography Report

#22 in overall quality

Missouri Southern State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Missouri Southern, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $9,625 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid per year to attend Missouri Southern State University.

Full Missouri Southern Geography & Cartography Report

#16

University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri
#18 in overall quality

University of Missouri - Kansas City landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UMKC is a fairly large public school situated in Kansas City, Missouri. It awarded 5 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid list, UMKC has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $14,643 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid per year to attend University of Missouri - Kansas City.

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

#17

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas

Kansas State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Kansas State University is a public institution located in Manhattan, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

K -State also took the #14 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Kansas State University is $18,285 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at K -State

Missouri State University - Springfield came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Springfield, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

Missouri State also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend Missouri State is $16,725 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Missouri State University - Springfield

#19

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

University of Kansas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. KU is a large school located in Lawrence, Kansas that handed out 10 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid list, KU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Kansas is $18,918 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

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

Full KU Geography & Cartography Report

#20

Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter, Minnesota

Gustavus Adolphus College landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Saint Peter, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid list, Gustavus Adolphus has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Gustavus Adolphus College is $19,093 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

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 low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 & Cartography at Gustavus Adolphus

#21

University of St Thomas Minnesota

Saint Paul, Minnesota
#6 in overall quality

University of St Thomas Minnesota ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

UST MN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of St Thomas Minnesota is $29,155 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at University of St Thomas Minnesota

#22

Macalester College

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Macalester College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. Macalester is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Macalester also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Macalester is $28,426 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Macalester College

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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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