2023 Best Value Colleges for Geophysics & Seismology (Income Over $110k)
22
Ranked Colleges
243
Degrees Awarded
$27,100
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 243 people earned their degree in geophysics and seismology, making the major the 757th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k” ranking analyzed 22 colleges that offered a degree in geophysics and seismology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geophysics and seismology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the geophysics and seismology program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Geophysics & Seismology Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
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Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k.
Top 22 Best Value Colleges for Geophysics & Seismology (Income Over $110k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wyoming. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k list. University of Wyoming is a fairly large school located in Laramie, Wyoming that handed out 3 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.
UW also took the #9 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wyoming is $11,085 for geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at University of Wyoming
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k list. University of Houston is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 42 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UH also took the #12 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Houston is $13,721 for Geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at University of Houston
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 ’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $12,017 for geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at UW Seattle
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Nevada - Reno. The school came in at #4 for the Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k. UNR is located in Reno, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
UNR also made our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $14,930 for geophysics students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UNR.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at University of Nevada - Reno
Out of the 22 schools in the Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Utah landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and it awarded 6 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.
U of U also took the #14 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Utah is $13,572 for geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at U of U
With a ranking of #6, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k list. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
UT Austin also took the #7 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $18,350 for geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at The University of Texas at Austin
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #7 on this year’s Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k list. This large school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 10 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M College Station also made our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M College Station is $18,919 for Geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at Texas A&M University - College Station
Western Washington University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Bellingham, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geophysics degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WWU, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WWU is $17,070 for Geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at WWU
With a ranking of #9, The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k list. The University of Texas at El Paso is a large public school situated in El Paso, Texas. It awarded 3 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.
UTEP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at El Paso is $9,000 for Geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at UTEP
Boise State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Boise State University is a public institution located in Boise, Idaho. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Boise State also made our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend Boise State University is $16,153 for geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at Boise State University
With a ranking of #11, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geophysics degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $16,032 for Geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at University of California - Berkeley
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 13 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at UCLA
San Diego State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k ranking. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 2 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $13,845 for geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Geophysics & Seismology at SDSU
Colorado School of Mines came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Golden, Colorado is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geophysics degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
Mines did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Mines is $27,114 for geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at Colorado School of Mines
University of Colorado Boulder came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Boulder, Colorado is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geophysics degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
CU - Boulder also made our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend CU - Boulder is $20,967 for Geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at University of Colorado Boulder
University of South Carolina - Columbia ranked #16 on this year’s Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k list. UofSC is a large public school situated in Columbia, South Carolina. It awarded 3 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.
UofSC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of South Carolina - Columbia is $20,559 for Geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at UofSC
Texas A&M University - Kingsville came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Texas A&M University - Kingsville is a medium-sized public school situated in Kingsville, Texas. It awarded 5 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M Kingsville, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M Kingsville is $13,027 for Geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at Texas A&M University - Kingsville
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k ranking. University of Oklahoma is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
University of Oklahoma did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $21,122 for geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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 Geophysics & Seismology at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
University of California - Riverside landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k ranking. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our geophysics students whose families make more than $110k list, UCR has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,822 for Geophysics students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UCR.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at UCR
Stanford University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 13 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our geophysics students whose families make more than $110k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $12,894 for Geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at Stanford University
With a ranking of #21, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s geophysics degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our geophysics students whose families make more than $110k list, UChicago has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $28,517 for geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Chicago Geophysics & Seismology Report
With a ranking of #22, California Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Geophysics Schools For Those Making Over $110k list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 9 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Caltech is $26,542 for geophysics students whose families make more than $110k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at Caltech
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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.
