2024 Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in Illinois
7Colleges
212,160Bachelor's Degrees
$29,354Avg Cost*
Finding the Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences School for You
With 212,160 bachelor's degrees handed out in 2021-2022, geological & earth sciences is the #109 most popular major in Illinois. This means that colleges and universities in the state were responsible for awarding 3.9% of all the geology bachelor's degrees in the country.
For this year's Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in Illinois ranking, we looked at 7 colleges that offer a bachelor's in geology. To us, 'best value' doesn't just mean the school with the lowest overall costs. For this ranking, we are identifying those geology schools that provide their students with a hiqh quality education at a price that is lower than other colleges and universities of the same caliber.
To determine the average cost, we look at total expenses - such as tuition, fees, room and board, books, and other related expenses - and then subtract the average financial award a student receives. Knowing this amount can help you determine how much you may have to borrow in loans or take out of savings. Depending on your income and other factors, the cost for you to attend a particular school may be more or less.
More Ways to Rank Geological & Earth Sciences Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Value Geology Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
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Featured Geological & Earth Sciences Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Gain the analytical, technical and science communications skills you need to begin your career with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Address contemporary environmental issues through managing and analyzing data with this specialized geosciences degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign comes in at #1 in this year's ranking. UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign. As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #3 rank in our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois ranking.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UIUC is 4.2 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $33,662. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UIUC is about $141,717. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The #2 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Illinois State University. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a fairly large student population. As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #5 rank in our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois ranking.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Illinois State is 4.3 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $26,419. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State is $114,130. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The #3 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Illinois at Chicago. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a very large student population. In addition to being on our best value list, UIC has also earned the #4 rank in our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois ranking.
The average student at UIC graduates in less than 4.5 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $30,470. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from UIC is $137,420. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
Northern Illinois University landed the #4 spot in our 2024 rankings for best value geological & earth sciences schools. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population. NIU did well in our quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois list.
It takes the average student at NIU about 4.6 years to graduate, and it costs about $20,624 per year to attend the school. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from NIU is $94,870. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
Our rankings recognize Western Illinois University as the #5 school in this year's rankings. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Macomb.
It takes the average student at WIU about 4.4 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $17,561. This means that the average student pays around $77,093 to get a bachelor’s degree from WIU. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
Northwestern University comes in at #6 in this year's ranking. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston. Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois rankings.
It takes about 4.1 years for the average student at Northwestern to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $37,080. This means that the average student pays around $153,140 to get a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Our rankings recognize University of Chicago as the #6 school in this year's rankings. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. UChicago not only placed well in our value rankings. It is also #2 on our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois list.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UChicago is 4.1 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $39,662. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the UChicago is $161,424. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
One of 8 majors within the Physical Sciences area of study, Geological & Earth Sciences has other similar majors worth exploring.
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 7 schools only.
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 the rest 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).
Credit for the banner image above goes to Kelvinsong.
With 212,160 bachelor's degrees handed out in 2021-2022, geological & earth sciences is the #109 most popular major in Illinois. This means that colleges and universities in the state were responsible for awarding 3.9% of all the geology bachelor's degrees in the country.
