2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major
33
Ranked Colleges
99
Degrees Awarded
$34,100
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 238 people earned their degree in geophysics & seismology, making the major the 757th most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 99 geophysics & seismology graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,724 and $23,030 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major” ranking, we looked at 33 colleges that offer a degree in geophysics & seismology. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their geophysics & seismology program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Geophysics & Seismology Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major” list to help you make the college 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. 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.
Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree geophysics students.
Top 33 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geophysics & Seismology
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major. Caltech is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Full California Institute of Technology Geophysics & Seismology Report
Out of the 33 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Brown University landed the #2 spot on the list. Brown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 98%.
Full Brown University Geophysics & Seismology Report
Out of the 33 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Geophysics & Seismology Report
Out of the 33 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Houston landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geophysics students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at UH
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 4 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.
Full UC Berkeley Geophysics & Seismology Report
University of Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, 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 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at University of Chicago
SUNY Geneseo did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking, coming in at #7. SUNY Geneseo is a small public school situated in Geneseo, New York. It awarded 1 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 Geophysics & Seismology at SUNY Geneseo
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. This large school is located in Norman, Oklahoma, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Geophysics & Seismology Report
Michigan Technological University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking, coming in at #9. This medium-sized school is located in Houghton, Michigan, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, 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 85%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at Michigan Tech
Western Washington University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking, coming in at #10. WWU is located in Bellingham, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
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 Western Washington University
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking, coming in at #11. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at University of California - Los Angeles
With a ranking of #12, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 0 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 California - Riverside Geophysics & Seismology Report
Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geophysics degrees to 6 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 93%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at Texas A&M College Station
University of Nevada - Reno ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. University of Nevada - Reno is a large public school situated in Reno, Nevada. It awarded 4 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Nevada - Reno Geophysics & Seismology Report
Washington University in St Louis came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. WUSTL is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 96%.
Full Washington University in St Louis Geophysics & Seismology Report
University of South Carolina - Columbia landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. Columbia, South Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geophysics degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full University of South Carolina - Columbia Geophysics & Seismology Report
With a ranking of #17, Southern Methodist University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. Southern Methodist University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dallas, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national 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 more about Geophysics & Seismology at SMU
Western Michigan University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. Western Michigan University is a fairly large public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 0 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
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 Geophysics & Seismology at WMU
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. The University of Texas at Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 7 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at El Paso ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. Located in El Paso, Texas, this large public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geophysics students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at UTEP
With a ranking of #20, Saint Louis University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geophysics students in 2021-2022.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at Saint Louis University
St Lawrence University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. St. Lawrence is a small school located in Canton, New York that handed out 0 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 89%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at St Lawrence University
With a ranking of #20, Stanford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 3 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Stanford Geophysics & Seismology Report
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Geophysics & Seismology Report
Boston University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking, coming in at #20. Boston U is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 0 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at Boston U
Swarthmore College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. Swarthmore, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s geophysics degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at Swarthmore College
SUNY Fredonia came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. This small school is located in Fredonia, New York, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at SUNY Fredonia
Millsaps College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. Located in Jackson, Mississippi, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geophysics students in 2021-2022.
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%. 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 Millsaps Geophysics & Seismology Report
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. OSU is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at OSU
University of Tulsa did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking, coming in at #20. This small school is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
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 University of Tulsa
Baylor University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. Baylor University is located in Waco, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 88%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at Baylor University
University of Akron Main Campus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. University of Akron Main Campus is a public institution located in Akron, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 Akron Main Campus Geophysics & Seismology Report
With a ranking of #20, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at UCSD
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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.
