2023 Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k
4
Ranked Colleges
121
Degrees Awarded
$11,700
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 6,024 people earned their degree in geology and earth sciences, making the major the 125th most popular in the United States.
Across Virginia, there were 121 geology and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geology and earth sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geology and earth sciences programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geology and earth sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Geology & Earth Sciences Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.
William & Mary also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $5,972 for virginia geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full William & Mary Geology & Earth Sciences Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 26 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech also took the #1 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $11,934 for virginia geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 1.2% 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 full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Virginia Tech
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #3 spot on the list. James Madison University is a public institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 34 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for James Madison University is $14,288 for Virginia Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at JMU
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #4 spot on the list. GMU is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 13 ’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
GMU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend George Mason University is $14,781 for Virginia Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full GMU Geology & Earth Sciences Report
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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
- *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 Kelvinsong.