2022 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in Michigan

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
In 2019-2020, 8,918 people earned their degree in geological and earth sciences, making the major the 84th most popular in the United States. 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 Michigan, there were 247 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,800 and $24,200 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in geological and earth sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geological and earth sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geological and earth sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
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 “Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in Michigan
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 49 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Michigan” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $3,166 for Michigan Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Michigan State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k. Michigan State is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 27 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our michigan geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Michigan State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Michigan” ranking. It costs about $6,686 for michigan geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Michigan State University
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Valley State University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Allendale, Michigan, and it awarded 28 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
GVSU also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Michigan” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for GVSU is $11,578 for Michigan Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 Geological & Earth Sciences at Grand Valley State University
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Michigan University landed the #4 spot on the list. Western Michigan University is a fairly large public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 34 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WMU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Michigan” ranking. It costs about $13,021 for Michigan Geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Western Michigan University.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Western Michigan University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central Michigan University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 16 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
Central Michigan not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Michigan” list. The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan is $11,598 for Michigan Geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Central Michigan University
Northern Michigan University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k list. Marquette, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geology degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our michigan geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Northern Michigan University has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Michigan” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Michigan University is $9,137 for michigan geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Northern Michigan University
With a ranking of #7, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and it awarded 13 ’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
Eastern Michigan not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Michigan” list. It costs about $13,904 for Michigan Geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Eastern Michigan University.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Eastern Michigan
With a ranking of #8, Wayne State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Detroit, Michigan, this large public school awarded 13 degrees to qualified ’s geology students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wayne State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Michigan” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wayne State University is $11,413 for michigan geology students whose families make $0-$30k.
Hope College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Holland, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s geology degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
Hope also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in Michigan” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $16,113 for michigan geology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Hope College.
The school has an impressive 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 87%.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Hope College
- Best Value Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
- Best Value Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $0-$30k)
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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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