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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income Over $110k)

265 Ranked Colleges
6,087 Degrees Awarded
$16,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making Over $110k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,087 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k” ranking analyzed 265 colleges that offered a degree 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k” 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.

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Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income Over $110k)

#13 in overall quality

Out of the 265 schools in the Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. Missouri University of Science and Technology is located in Rolla, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 31 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k list, Missouri University of Science and Technology has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology is $14,262 for Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make more than $110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Missouri University of Science and Technology

#2

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #2 for the Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k. University of Florida is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 36 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UF is in the top on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. It costs about $6,302 for Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend University of Florida.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Florida

#3

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wyoming. The school came in at #3 for the Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k. University of Wyoming is a public institution located in Laramie, Wyoming. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UW is in the top on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Wyoming is $12,159 for bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at UW

#4

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Georgia. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k list. University of Georgia is a large school located in Athens, Georgia that handed out 15 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UGA, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UGA is $13,649 for bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k.

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 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at UGA

Out of the 265 schools in the Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Idaho landed the #5 spot on the list. Brigham Young University - Idaho is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Rexburg, Idaho. It awarded 12 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,167 for bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend BYU - I.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Brigham Young University - Idaho

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin ranked #6 on this year’s Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k list. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is a medium-sized public school situated in Odessa, Texas. It awarded 13 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UT Permian Basin is $10,092 for Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make more than $110k.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

#7

The City College of New York

New York, New York

With a ranking of #7, The City College of New York did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k list. CCNY is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 11 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for The City College of New York is $2,385 for Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make more than $110k.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at CCNY

#8

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k list. UW - River Falls is a public institution located in River Falls, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - River Falls is $13,748 for bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Wisconsin - River Falls

California State University - Fullerton landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Cal State Fullerton

With a ranking of #10, University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k list. Las Vegas, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $11,424 for bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at UNLV

California State University - Long Beach landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, CSULB is in the top on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. It costs about $9,622 for Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend CSULB.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at CSULB

#12

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Utah came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k ranking. University of Utah is a large public school situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. It awarded 35 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend U of U is $14,773 for Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make more than $110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 more about Geological & Earth Sciences at U of U

#13

West Virginia University

Morgantown, West Virginia

West Virginia University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k ranking. West Virginia University is a large public school situated in Morgantown, West Virginia. It awarded 56 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend WVU is $12,983 for bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k.

Full West Virginia University Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#14

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
Top 10% in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of Arizona did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k list. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 62 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on this list, University of Arizona is in the top on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $15,016 for bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend University of Arizona.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Arizona

#15

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

With a ranking of #15, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k list. NKU is located in Highland Heights, Kentucky and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Northern Kentucky University is $9,049 for bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k.

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

University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #16. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 43 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,708 for bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UW - Madison.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 UW - Madison Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#17

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point ranked #17 on this year’s Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k list. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school situated in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It awarded 11 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,465 for bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UW - Stevens Point.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at UW - Stevens Point

#18

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Florida State is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Florida State is $9,789 for Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Florida State University

University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school awarded 28 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend USF Tampa is $8,355 for Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make more than $110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, 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 92%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of South Florida - Main Campus

California State University - Los Angeles ranked #20 on this year’s Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Los Angeles

#21

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 50 students in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UH also did well on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UH is $12,838 for Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Houston

#22

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

With a ranking of #22, Texas Tech University did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in Lubbock, Texas, this large public school awarded 35 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Texas Tech is in the top on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. It costs about $17,571 for Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Texas Tech University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Texas Tech University Geological & Earth Sciences Report

With a ranking of #23, Florida International University did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k list. FIU is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 15 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Florida International University is $7,296 for bachelor’s degree geology students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at FIU

#24

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #24. This medium-sized school is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Green Bay is $14,395 for Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make more than $110k.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at UW - Green Bay

#25

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

University of Northern Iowa came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k ranking. UNI is a medium-sized public school situated in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It awarded 10 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,620 for Bachelor’s Degree Geology students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UNI.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Northern Iowa Geological & Earth Sciences Report

Rest of the Best 41 in Best Vallue Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making Over $110k

Not only did these schools make the top 41 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#28

Weber State University

Ogden, Utah
#29

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#31

Beloit College

Beloit, Wisconsin
#32

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina
#34

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#36

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#39

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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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