College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Popular Colleges for Geography & Cartography in Illinois

17 Ranked Colleges
201 Degrees Awarded
$27,100 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Illinois, there were 201 geography and cartography graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,963 and $22,183 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois” ranking analyzed 17 colleges that offered a degree in geography and cartography. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular geography and cartography programs in the United States.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Geography Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. 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.

Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois geography students.

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 45 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UIUC Geography & Cartography Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 32 ’s 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%.

Full Illinois State Geography & Cartography Report

3

Out of the 17 schools in the Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #3 spot on the list. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

4
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois list. EIU is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 16 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Eastern Illinois University

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 12 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Northern Illinois University

6
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois list. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at UChicago

7
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 10 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at DePaul

7
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking. Rock Island, Illinois 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 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Augustana Geography & Cartography Report

9

Western Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois list. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 11 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Western Illinois University

10
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 8 ’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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Northwestern University Geography & Cartography Report

11
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified ’s geography students 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.

Full Chicago State University Geography & Cartography Report

12

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Geography & Cartography Report

12
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois list. Elmhurst University is located in Elmhurst, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 more about Geography & Cartography at Elmhurst

14
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 ’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%.

Full Olivet Nazarene Geography & Cartography Report

15

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 0 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Geography & Cartography Report

15
Concordia University, Chicago crest
Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s geography degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

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

Full Concordia University, Chicago Geography & Cartography Report

15

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at University of Illinois at Chicago

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options