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Best Value Geography & Cartography Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2023 Best Value Geography & Cartography Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

48 Colleges
$18,678 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$34,196 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Geography & Cartography School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, geography and cartography was ranked #103 in the country. In fact 8,526 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 Geography & Cartography Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 48 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for geography students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

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

Top 10 Best Geography & Cartography Schools

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to be the best value school for geography and cartography students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year. On average, geography graduates from SIUE take out $21,900 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

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The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - River Falls helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best geography and cartography schools in the Great Lakes Region . UW - River Falls is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of River Falls.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - River Falls are $15,661 per year.

UW - River Falls also claimed a spot on our Best Geography & Cartography Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 48 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the # 3 spot on the list. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WIU are $13,297 a year.

Full Geography & Cartography at Western Illinois University Report

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$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 48 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. While working on their degree, geography majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $22,500 in student debt.

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The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best geography and cartography schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the city of La Crosse, UW - La Crosse is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - La Crosse are $18,014 per year. The average amount in student loans that geography majors at UW - La Crosse take out is $22,850.

UW - La Crosse also claimed a spot on our Best Geography & Cartography Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

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Illinois State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography & Cartography Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Illinois State are $24,172 a year. Geography majors at Illinois State take out an average of $19,017 in student loans while working on their egree.

Illinois State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Geography & Cartography Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Full Geography & Cartography at Illinois State University Report

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With a ranking of #6, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on this year’s best value schools for geography and cartography students. Located in the distant town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UW - Whitewater undergraduate students pay an average of $16,602 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, geography graduates from UW - Whitewater carry an average student debtload of $25,046.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - Whitewater also did well on our Best Geography & Cartography Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Geography & Cartography at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Report

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#8

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI
$13,094 Average Tuition & Fees

Central Michigan University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value geography and cartography programs. Located in the town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Central Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $13,094 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that geography majors at Central Michigan take out is $27,000.

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#9

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH
$9,732 Average Tuition & Fees

Youngstown State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for geography and cartography students. It came in at #9 on the list. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Youngstown.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Youngstown State University are $9,732 per year.

Full Geography & Cartography at Youngstown State University Report

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$11,880 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Akron Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for geography and cartography students. It came in at #10 on the list. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large public school located in the city of Akron.

University of Akron Main Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at University of Akron Main Campus

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Best Geography & Cartography Colleges by State

Explore the best geography and cartography schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 138
Ohio 264
Illinois 191
Indiana 82
Wisconsin 276

Geography & Cartography is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Geography

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Economics 49,055
Sociology 38,475
General Social Sciences 18,997
International Relations & National Security 14,306

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 Couleur.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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