2023 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Geophysical Engineering (Income $75-$110k) in the Plains States Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 325 people earned their degree in geological and geophysical engineering, making the major the 726th most popular in the United States.

Across the Plains States region, there were 177 geological and geophysical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geological and geophysical engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geological and geophysical engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the geological and geophysical engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools

The geological & geophysical engineering 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 Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Geophysical Engineering (Income $75-$110k) in the Plains States Region

1

Missouri University of Science and Technology
Rolla, Missouri

#1 in overall quality

$14,755 Average Net Price

$63,979 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Missouri University of Science and Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public institution located in Rolla, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 140 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Missouri University of Science and Technology not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $14,755 for plains states region geological & geophysical engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Read more about Geological & Geophysical Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology

2

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, Minnesota

#3 in overall quality

$18,938 Average Net Price

$50,445 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 7 ’s geological and geophysical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $18,938 for plains states region geological & geophysical engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UMN 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Geological & Geophysical Engineering Report

3

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Rapid City, South Dakota

#2 in overall quality

$21,542 Average Net Price

$64,929 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology landed the #3 spot on the list. SD Mines is a small public school situated in Rapid City, South Dakota. It awarded 25 ’s geological and geophysical engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

SD Mines also made our “Best Geological & Geophysical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $21,542 for plains states region geological & geophysical engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend SD Mines.

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%.

Full South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Geological & Geophysical Engineering Report

• Best Value Colleges for Geological & Geophysical Engineering (Income $75-$110k)

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.