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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

5 Ranked Colleges
107 Degrees Awarded
$12,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 Virginia, there were 138 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,500 and $23,614 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 107 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geological and earth sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geological and earth sciences programs, but they also cost less that 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Geological & Earth Sciences Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 5 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

#1

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #1 spot on the list. William & Mary is a public institution located in Williamsburg, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at William & Mary, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $4,963 for virginia bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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 93%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at William & Mary

#2

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 19 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Virginia Tech also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $14,010 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Virginia Tech

#3

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. James Madison University is a large public school situated in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It awarded 25 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend JMU is $15,726 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full JMU Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#4

Radford University

Radford, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Radford University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. Radford is a public institution located in Radford, Virginia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Radford also took the #5 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $12,355 for virginia bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Radford.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Radford University

#5

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this large public school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

GMU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $17,060 for virginia bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend GMU.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full GMU Geological & Earth Sciences 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).
  • 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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