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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region

71 Ranked Colleges
1,187 Degrees Awarded
$25,600 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 8,526 people earned their degree in geography and cartography, making the major the 110th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, geography and cartography graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $38,604 and had an average of $22,522 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,187 geography and cartography graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,196 and $24,578 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 71 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geography and cartography. That schools that top this list have a program in geography and cartography in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Geography & Cartography in the Great Lakes Region

1
Carthage crest
Carthage College
Kenosha, Wisconsin

Out of the 71 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Carthage College landed the #1 spot on the list. Kenosha, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s geography degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 Carthage College Geography & Cartography Report

2
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Out of the 71 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Augustana College landed the #2 spot on the list. Augustana is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Augustana Geography & Cartography Report

3

Out of the 71 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #3 spot on the list. Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.

Full University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Geography & Cartography Report

4
Indiana State crest
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Terre Haute, Indiana, and it awarded 25 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Indiana State

5

Out of the 71 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #5 spot on the list. UW - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 24 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

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 low undergrad 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%.

Full University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Geography & Cartography Report

6
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. Eastern Illinois University is located in Charleston, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Full Eastern Illinois University Geography & Cartography Report

7
Indiana University - Southeast crest
Indiana University - Southeast
New Albany, Indiana

Indiana University - Southeast did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. New Albany, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Indiana University - Southeast

8

With a ranking of #8, Ohio Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Delaware, Ohio, and it awarded 3 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Ohio Wesleyan University

9

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 26 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

10
Calvin crest
Calvin University
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Calvin University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Calvin University is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

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

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Calvin University

11

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 132 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at UW - Madison

12

University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - River Falls is a medium-sized public school situated in River Falls, Wisconsin. It awarded 12 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at University of Wisconsin - River Falls

13

Kent State University at Kent landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kent, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 46 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Kent State

14

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 40 diplomas to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.

Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Geography & Cartography Report

15
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 3 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at CSU

16

University of Wisconsin - Parkside ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Parkside is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 UW - Parkside

17
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 32 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Illinois State

18
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Western Michigan University is a fairly large public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 33 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Western Michigan University

19

With a ranking of #19, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 88 degrees to qualified ’s geography 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Ohio State

20
Aquinas College Michigan crest
Aquinas College Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Aquinas College Michigan ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Aquinas College Michigan is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 more about Geography & Cartography at Aquinas College Michigan

21
Valpo crest
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso, Indiana

Valparaiso University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Valparaiso, Indiana, and it awarded 5 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Valpo

22

With a ranking of #22, Lakeland Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Lakeland is located in Kirtland, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Lakeland

23

Michigan Technological University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Houghton, Michigan, this medium-sized public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad 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 full report on Geography & Cartography at Michigan Tech

24

Miami University - Oxford did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large school located in Oxford, Ohio that handed out 48 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Miami University - Oxford Geography & Cartography Report

25

Western Illinois University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Geography Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at WIU

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