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Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

2023 Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

14 Colleges
$27,515 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$40,791 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Geological & Earth Sciences School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, geological and earth sciences was ranked #96 in the country. In fact 7,821 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 14 schools in the Rocky Mountains 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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools

$4,416 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Brigham Young University - Idaho to be the best value school for geological and earth sciences students who want to pursue a degree in the Rocky Mountains Region . BYU - I is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the town of Rexburg.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU - I are $4,416 per year.

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Out of the 14 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the # 2 spot on the list. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Provo.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU are $6,120 per year.

BYU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list.

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#3

University of Wyoming

Laramie, WY

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Wyoming is a great value for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the town of Laramie, UW is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW are $16,957 a year. While working on their degree, geology majors at UW accumulate an average of around $24,000 in student debt.

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The excellent programs at Colorado State University - Fort Collins helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best geological and earth sciences schools in the Rocky Mountains Region . Colorado State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Fort Collins.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Colorado State are $31,470 per year. Geology majors at Colorado State take out an average of $26,750 in student loans while working on their egree.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Colorado State is ranked #5 for overall quality for geology in the Rocky Mountains Region .

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#5

Fort Lewis College

Durango, CO
$19,660 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Fort Lewis College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best geological and earth sciences schools in the Rocky Mountains Region . FLC is a small public school located in the distant town of Durango.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at FLC are $19,660 a year. After completing their degree, geology graduates from FLC carry an average student debtload of $22,125.

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University of Northern Colorado landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value geological and earth sciences programs. University of Northern Colorado is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Greeley.

University of Northern Colorado undergraduate students pay an average of $23,785 in tuition and fees each year. Geology majors at University of Northern Colorado take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$22,446 Average Tuition & Fees

Western Colorado University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value geological and earth sciences programs. Located in the remote town of Gunnison, Western is a public college with a small student population.

Western undergraduate students pay an average of $22,446 in tuition and fees each year.

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#8

University of Idaho

Moscow, ID
$27,576 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Idaho did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for geological and earth sciences students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the town of Moscow, U of I is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at U of I are $27,576 per year.

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#9

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, UT

University of Utah came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public school with a fairly large student population.

U of U undergraduate students pay an average of $28,345 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that geology majors at U of U take out is $19,000.

U of U excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list.

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#10

Montana State University

Bozeman, MT
$28,264 Average Tuition & Fees

Montana 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 #10 on the list. Located in the town of Bozeman, MSU Bozeman is a public school with a large student population.

MSU Bozeman undergraduate students pay an average of $28,264 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that geology majors at MSU Bozeman take out is $25,250.

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Best Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best geological and earth sciences colleges for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains region.

State Degrees Awarded
Colorado 213
Utah 124
Idaho 65
Montana 77
Wyoming 46

More Geological & Earth Sciences Rankings in the Rocky Mountains Region

Geological & Earth Sciences is one of 8 different types of programs to choose from.

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 14 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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