2023 Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Geological & Earth Sciences School for You
Geological & Earth Sciences is the #96 most popular major in the country with 7,821 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 34 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for geology students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Featured Geology Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
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Top 10 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of Wisconsin - River Falls the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the distant town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - River Falls are $15,661 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW - River Falls is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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Out of the 34 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $24,172 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Illinois State also is in the top 15% of our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at Illinois State University Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Akron Main Campus is a great value for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the midsize city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 a year. While working on their degree, geology majors at University of Akron Main Campus accumulate an average of around $22,000 in student debt.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Akron Main Campus Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Western Illinois University
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is a great value for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 a year. Geology majors at UW - Eau Claire take out an average of $19,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - Eau Claire also did well on our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value geological and earth sciences programs. UW - Stevens Point is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Stevens Point.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Stevens Point are $17,035 a year.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Report
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Eastern Michigan University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Eastern Michigan is a large public school located in the large suburb of Ypsilanti.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Eastern Michigan are $15,500 a year.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at Eastern Michigan University Report
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Northern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in tuition and fees each year.
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Grand Valley State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for geological and earth sciences students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Allendale, GVSU is a public school with a very large student population.
GVSU undergraduate students pay an average of $19,628 in tuition and fees each year. Geology majors at GVSU take out an average of $29,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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University of Wisconsin - Parkside did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for geological and earth sciences students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the midsize suburb of Kenosha, UW - Parkside is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Parkside are $15,714 a year. The average amount in student loans that geology majors at UW - Parkside take out is $26,700.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Parkside
Request InformationBest Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges by State
Explore the best geological and earth sciences schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 211 |
| Ohio | 237 |
| Illinois | 140 |
| Indiana | 98 |
| Wisconsin | 130 |
More Geological & Earth Sciences Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Majors Related to Geology
One of 8 majors within the area of study, geological and earth sciences has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Geology
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 21,239 |
| Physics | 13,674 |
| General Physical Sciences | 3,823 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 1,375 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 1,140 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Kelvinsong.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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