2023 Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k
13
Ranked Colleges
678
Degrees Awarded
$16,000
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Geography & Cartography is the 110th most popular major in the country with 8,526 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, geography and cartography graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $38,604 and had an average of $22,522 in loans still to pay off.
Across Pennsylvania, there were 678 geography and cartography graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,187 and $26,134 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geography and cartography. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geography and cartography 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 geography and cartography program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. 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.
Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Geography & Cartography (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. UPenn is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 16 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $580 for pennsylvania geography students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.
Read full report on Geography & Cartography at UPenn
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania is a public institution located in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, SRU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SRU is $14,091 for Pennsylvania Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geography & Cartography at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Temple University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 64 students in 2020-2021.
Temple did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Temple University is $18,173 for pennsylvania geography students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Geography & Cartography at Temple University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bucknell University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Bucknell University is a small school located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 7 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
Bucknell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Bucknell is $22,722 for pennsylvania geography students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Bucknell University
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania landed the #5 spot on the list. Edinboro is a small school located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania that handed out 13 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
Edinboro also took the #10 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $12,212 for Pennsylvania Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
Full Edinboro Geography & Cartography Report
Villanova University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 11 degrees to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.
Villanova also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $24,907 for Pennsylvania Geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Villanova.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 Geography & Cartography at Villanova University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. WCUPA is a public institution located in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
WCUPA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend WCUPA is $15,718 for Pennsylvania Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Geography & Cartography at WCUPA
With a ranking of #8, University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 21 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pitt Johnstown has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pitt Johnstown is $10,570 for pennsylvania geography students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown Geography & Cartography Report
Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Indiana, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, IUP has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus is $19,397 for pennsylvania geography students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Geography & Cartography at IUP
With a ranking of #10, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.
Kutztown University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is $18,732 for pennsylvania geography students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Geography & Cartography Report
Millersville University of Pennsylvania ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Millersville is located in Millersville, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Millersville, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $17,224 for pennsylvania geography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Millersville University of Pennsylvania.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Millersville Geography & Cartography Report
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized public school awarded 15 degrees to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.
Ship also took the #12 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is $18,076 for pennsylvania geography students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Geography & Cartography Report
With a ranking of #13, California University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Geography Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. California University of Pennsylvania is a medium-sized school located in California, Pennsylvania that handed out 7 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal U is $15,854 for Pennsylvania Geography students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Geography & Cartography at California University of Pennsylvania
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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
- *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 Couleur.
