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2023 Best Geophysics & Seismology Colleges for Veterans

21 Ranked Colleges
243 Degrees Awarded
$33,600 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans 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 “Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics” 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.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics” ranking, we looked at 21 colleges that offer a degree in geophysics and seismology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geophysics and seismology programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the geophysics and seismology program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Geophysics & Seismology Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
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More Geophysics Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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.

Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics”.

Top 21 Best Geophysics & Seismology Colleges for Veterans

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics. Texas A&M University - College Station is located in College Station, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.

Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Texas A&M University - College Station supports 70,418 students, and 5 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 4 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,925. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Texas A&M College Station Veteran Student Life Report

2
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics. University of Houston is located in Houston, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 42 ’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 47,090 students enrolled at UH, 1,382 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 730 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,264. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 More…

3
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Utah. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified ’s geophysics students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U of U, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 33,081 students enrolled at University of Utah, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

[Read full report on veteran student life at U of U]](/colleges/university-of-utah/student-life/veterans/)

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics. 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 also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 48,149 students enrolled at UW Seattle, 1,283 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 769 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,190. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Colorado Boulder. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics. CU - Boulder is a public institution located in Boulder, Colorado. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CU - Boulder not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 1,379 of the 37,437 students enrolled at University of Colorado Boulder were GI Bill® students, of which 968 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,889. To help with additional expenses, 46 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Colorado Boulder offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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…

6
UW crest
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming

University of Wyoming landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics ranking. University of Wyoming is a public institution located in Laramie, Wyoming. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 11,829 students enrolled at UW, 473 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 255 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,738. During this same period, 13 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UW offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

7
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics 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.

UChicago also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 17,834 students enrolled at UChicago, 241 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 113 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,948. During this same period, 58 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UChicago]](/colleges/university-of-chicago/student-life/veterans/)

8

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics list. University of Oklahoma is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 16 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Oklahoma also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma, 12 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,720. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Veteran Student Life Report

9

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 13 degrees to qualified ’s geophysics students in 2020-2021.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 44,589 students enrolled at University of California - Los Angeles, 7 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,071. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 96%.

Full UCLA Veteran Student Life Report

10

University of Nevada - Reno ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics list. University of Nevada - Reno is a public institution located in Reno, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNR, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 669 of the 20,722 students enrolled at UNR were GI Bill® students, of which 351 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,493. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

11
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics ranking. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 13 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 15,953 students enrolled at Stanford, 188 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 118 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,909. On top of their other funding sources, 61 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

12

University of South Carolina - Columbia landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics ranking. UofSC is located in Columbia, South Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.

UofSC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, UofSC supports 35,470 students, and 1,609 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 651 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,453. In addition to receiving other benefits, 33 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

13
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geophysics degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

SDSU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 36,334 students enrolled at San Diego State University, 1,433 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 853 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,806. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full San Diego State University Veteran Student Life Report

14
Mines crest
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado

With a ranking of #14, Colorado School of Mines did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics list. Located in Golden, Colorado, this medium-sized public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified ’s geophysics students in 2020-2021.

Mines also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 6,744 students enrolled at Colorado School of Mines, 234 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 145 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,456. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Colorado School of Mines does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Mines Veteran Student Life Report

15

The University of Texas at Austin came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics ranking. 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 made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, UT Austin supports 50,476 students, and 7 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,893. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UT Austin offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 UT Austin Veteran Student Life Report

16

Boise State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics 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.

In addition to being on our vets studying geophysics list, Boise State has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 24,069 students enrolled at Boise State, 1,134 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 798 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,559. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Boise State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

17
WWU crest
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics ranking. Western Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Bellingham, Washington. It awarded 2 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WWU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, WWU supports 15,197 students, and 622 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 324 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,933. On top of their other funding sources, 7 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

18

University of California - Riverside came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geophysics degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 26,434 students enrolled at University of California - Riverside, 11 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,182. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of California - Riverside offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Riverside Veteran Student Life Report

19

Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics ranking, coming in at #19. Texas A&M Kingsville is a medium-sized school located in Kingsville, Texas that handed out 5 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.

Texas A&M Kingsville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 6,932 students enrolled at Texas A&M Kingsville, 215 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 96 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,743. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Texas A&M Kingsville Veteran Student Life Report

20

California Institute of Technology landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics ranking. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. 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 #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 4 of the 2,240 students enrolled at Caltech were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $67,154. In addition to receiving other benefits, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read More…

21

The University of Texas at El Paso landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics ranking. This large school is located in El Paso, Texas, and it awarded 3 ’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.

UTEP also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,873 of the 24,879 students enrolled at The University of Texas at El Paso were GI Bill® students, of which 942 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,990. In addition to receiving other benefits, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. The University of Texas at El Paso offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Full UTEP Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

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