Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Geography & Cartography

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region

14 Ranked Colleges
410 Degrees Awarded
$16,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor's in the Rocky Mountains Region

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 Rocky Mountains Region” 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 Rocky Mountains region, there were 780 geography and cartography graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,257 and $23,177 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 410 geography and cartography graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,111 and $23,874 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking, we looked at 14 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.

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 and cartography program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Geography & Cartography 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 Rocky Mountains Region” 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. 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 Rocky Mountains Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree geography students.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography & Cartography in the Rocky Mountains Region

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Provo. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. BYU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 68 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

BYU also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $13,322 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree geography students per year to attend BYU.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 92%.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at BYU

#2

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wyoming landed the #2 spot on the list. UW is a public institution located in Laramie, Wyoming. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW is $12,159 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UW Geography & Cartography Report

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Weber State University landed the #3 spot on the list. WSU is located in Ogden, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

WSU also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $11,968 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree geography students per year to attend Weber State University.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Weber State University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Colorado. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region. Located in Greeley, Colorado, this fairly large public school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Northern Colorado, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $15,714 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students per year to attend University of Northern Colorado.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at University of Northern Colorado

#5

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Utah landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

U of U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Utah is $14,773 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Full U of U Geography & Cartography Report

#6

University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs, Colorado

University of Colorado at Colorado Springs came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 52 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCCS, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCCS is $16,486 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.

Full UCCS Geography & Cartography Report

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Utah State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. This large school is located in Logan, Utah, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

USU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $13,634 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students per year to attend USU.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at USU

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. CU Anschutz is located in Denver, Colorado and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CU Anschutz, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $15,358 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree geography students per year to attend University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at CU Anschutz

#5 in overall quality

Colorado State University - Fort Collins ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Fort Collins, Colorado 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Colorado State, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $18,668 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree geography students per year to attend Colorado State.

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

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Colorado State

#10

University of Idaho

Moscow, Idaho

University of Idaho ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. University of Idaho is located in Moscow, Idaho and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree geography students list, U of I has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Idaho is $14,132 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree geography students.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at U of I

#13 in overall quality

Metropolitan State University of Denver did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #11. MSU Denver is located in Denver, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

MSU Denver did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Metropolitan State University of Denver is $14,257 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students.

Full MSU Denver Geography & Cartography Report

#12

The University of Montana

Missoula, Montana
#11 in overall quality

The University of Montana landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Missoula, Montana, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

UM also took the #11 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $15,246 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students per year to attend The University of Montana.

Full The University of Montana Geography & Cartography Report

#13

University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, Colorado

University of Colorado Boulder did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #13. CU - Boulder is a large school located in Boulder, Colorado that handed out 60 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

CU - Boulder did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for CU - Boulder is $21,680 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at CU - Boulder

#14

University of Denver

Denver, Colorado

University of Denver did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #14. University of Denver is a fairly large school located in Denver, Colorado that handed out 22 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

DU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for DU is $32,361 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students.

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%.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at University of Denver

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Geography Schools

Find Schools Near You