2023 Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans
14
Ranked Colleges
89
Degrees Awarded
$33,700
Avg Cost*
With all of the options veterans 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 “Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s” 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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 89 geophysics and seismology graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered 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
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 for a Bachelor’s” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree vets studying geophysics.
Top 14 Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #1 spot on the list. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geophysics degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M College Station also made our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1.According to our most recent data, Texas A&M 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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Texas A&M College Station offers credit for military training for eligible students.
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 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%.
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Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geophysics students in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list.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. On top of their other funding sources, 0 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 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geophysics degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
UH also made our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9.According to our most recent data, UH supports 47,090 students, and 1,382 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 730 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,264. 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.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, 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%.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s list. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
UChicago also took the #4 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking.According to our most recent data, UChicago supports 17,834 students, and 241 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 113 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,948. On top of their other funding sources, 58 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
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Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Michigan University landed the #5 spot on the list. Western Michigan University is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
WMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list.According to our most recent data, Western Michigan University supports 19,887 students, and 584 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 327 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,981. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s list. University of Oklahoma is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Oklahoma also made our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #14.Our most recent data shows that 12 of the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma were GI Bill® students, of which 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,720. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
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University of Nevada - Reno came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s ranking. Reno, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geophysics degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
UNR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list.According to our most recent data, University of Nevada - Reno supports 20,722 students, and 669 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 351 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,493. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Nevada - Reno does offer credit for military training for eligible 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%.
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University of South Carolina - Columbia came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Columbia, South Carolina, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UofSC, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking.Among the 35,470 students enrolled at UofSC, 1,609 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 651 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,453. To help with additional expenses, 33 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 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of South Carolina - Columbia Veteran Student Life Report
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
UCLA also took the #6 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking.Of the 44,589 students enrolled at UCLA, 7 were 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. On top of their other funding sources, 0 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
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The University of Texas at Austin came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s ranking. UT Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
UT Austin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list.Our most recent data shows that 7 of the 50,476 students enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin 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 $2,893. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. The University of Texas at Austin offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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
With a ranking of #11, Western Washington University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s list. WWU is a public institution located in Bellingham, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WWU, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking.Among the 15,197 students enrolled at WWU, 622 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 324 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,933. On top of their other funding sources, 7 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. WWU 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…
University of California - Riverside came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s ranking. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 11 of the 26,434 students enrolled at UCR were GI Bill® students, of which 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,182. To help with additional expenses, 0 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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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…
With a ranking of #13, California Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree vets studying geophysics list, Caltech has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking.Of the 2,240 students enrolled at Caltech, 4 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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 funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at California Institute of Technology]](/colleges/california-institute-of-technology/student-life/veterans/)
SUNY Geneseo came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Geophysics for a Bachelor’s ranking. SUNY Geneseo is a small public school situated in Geneseo, New York. It awarded 1 bachelors’s geophysics degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SUNY Geneseo, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Geophysics & Seismology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 44 of the 4,911 students enrolled at SUNY Geneseo were GI Bill® students, of which 14 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,740. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full SUNY Geneseo Veteran Student Life 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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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.
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