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2022 Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

8 Ranked Colleges
155 Degrees Awarded
$9,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Geological & Earth Sciences is the 84th most popular major in the country with 8,918 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, geological and earth sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $35,533 and had an average of $23,531 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 155 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,700 and $21,833 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered a degree in geological and earth sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geological and earth sciences 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 geological and earth sciences program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Geological & 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 Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. 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.

Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 19 degrees to qualified ’s geology students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $1,866 for illinois geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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 Northwestern Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 14 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $2,712 for illinois geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at UChicago

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 ’s geology degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for Illinois Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at UIUC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 21 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $10,648 for illinois geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at UIC

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 12 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #6 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $13,658 for illinois geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full SIUC Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#6

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 25 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $14,470 for illinois geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Illinois State University

#7

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 20 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $15,281 for illinois geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Northern Illinois University

#8

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $13,942 for Illinois Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at WIU

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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

Footnotes

  • *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.

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