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2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

41 Ranked Colleges
1,228 Degrees Awarded
$11,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 the Far Western US region, there were 1,851 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,136 and $22,606 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,228 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 41 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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 the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 116 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid list, UW Seattle has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $13,297 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at UW Seattle

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,768 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Cal State LA

Out of the 41 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 38 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid.

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%.

Full Cal State Fullerton Geological & Earth Sciences Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid list, CSULB has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national 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 full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at CSULB

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Bakersfield. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school handed out 25 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid.

Full California State University - Bakersfield Geological & Earth Sciences Report

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 52 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $14,783 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students with aid per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Irvine Geological & Earth Sciences Report

University of Nevada - Las Vegas came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a large public school situated in Las Vegas, Nevada. It awarded 41 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UNLV also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for UNLV is $11,424 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at UNLV

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Sac State also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $9,979 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Geological & Earth Sciences Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at CSUDH

University of California - Merced landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

UC Merced also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Merced is $13,896 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Merced Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#11

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#20 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $12,871 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 UCR

With a ranking of #12, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 22 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Cal Poly Pomona

#13

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 69 students in 2019-2020.

UCSB also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara

#14

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #14, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. CSUSB is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 15 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,342 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid per year to attend CSUSB.

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 California State University - San Bernardino

#15

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#2 in overall quality

Stanford University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $11,496 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid.

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 student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Stanford University

#16

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $14,788 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at San Diego State University

California State University - Fresno landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 5 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Fresno

#18

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #8 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $14,279 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Davis landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #6 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Davis Geological & Earth Sciences Report

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Stan State

#21

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 21 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $15,329 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at UC Berkeley

#22

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #22, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for far western us region bachelor’s degree geology students with aid.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at San Francisco State University

#23

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 66 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Santa Cruz

#24

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon

Portland State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. Portland State University is a large public school situated in Portland, Oregon. It awarded 30 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Portland State University is $13,040 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students with aid.

Full Portland State University Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#25

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. This fairly large school is located in Cheney, Washington, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for EWU is $12,607 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Geology students with aid.

Full Eastern Washington University 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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