Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences

Reviewed byPlaincollege Editorial, College Outcomes Editorial Team · June 3, 2026

456

Schools

Bachelor's

Credential Level

$65,189

National Avg Earnings

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences

Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences is tracked across 456 U.S. postsecondary institutions in the College Scorecard field-of-study file, which links CIP code classifications from IPEDS to Treasury earnings records. This profile covers the bachelor's credential level specifically, because the Department of Education reports program-level outcomes separately for associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards. The CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) taxonomy lets analysts roll up specialties into broader families, which is why earnings medians across schools can be compared on a common basis.

Across all reporting institutions, the mean of school-level medians is $65,189, calculated from 100 schools with published earnings data. The earnings distribution stretches from $56,739 at the low end to $85,207 at the top, with a 25th-75th percentile band between $60,027 and $69,610 around a median of $64,410. The top-reporting institution in this program is University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus at $85,207. These numbers reflect earnings measured roughly a year after completion, using Social Security Administration tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants.

Variation across schools matters more than a single national figure. Completers counts reported per school indicate how many graduates’ earnings feed the median, which means small programs produce more volatile numbers. Median debt at the program level, when paired with earnings, yields a debt-to-earnings ratio that is the College Scorecard’s standard affordability signal — ratios under 1.0 indicate earnings exceed cumulative debt. Use the school-by-school table to spot institutions where Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences graduates out-earn peers at comparable cost, and to surface gainful-employment patterns that only become visible at the CIP-code level.

Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences bachelor's credential median debt varies 2.1× across entities

Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences bachelor's credential median debt ranges from $14,916 (lowest) to $31,000 (highest), a spread of $16,084. That spread reflects typical institutional cost differences — public in-state, public out-of-state, and private school financing models produce predictable spreads. Median debt counts only those students who borrowed federal loans — students who paid out-of-pocket or received institutional grants are excluded from the borrower median, which can flatter low-debt schools.

Source: College Scorecard Field of Study file; IPEDS financial aid data College Scorecard Field of Study file; IPEDS financial aid data Accessed 2026-06-03

Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.34 — low (typically associated with graduates earn substantially more than they borrowed, which is the College Scorecard standard signal for affordability — a ratio under 0.5 means a year of post-completion earnings would clear half the federal-loan principal)

debt-to-earnings ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: this ratio uses federal loan principal, not all education debt — private loans, parent PLUS loans not in the borrower’s name, and institutional debt are excluded Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

Source: College Scorecard Field of Study file College Scorecard Field of Study file Accessed 2026-06-03

Earnings Distribution

Min

$56,739

25th %ile

$60,027

Median

$64,410

75th %ile

$69,610

Max

$85,207

$56,739 $85,207

Top Schools for This Program

School Name	State	Completers	Median Earnings	Median Debt
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus	OK	16	$85,207	$27,000
The University of Texas at Austin	TX	46	$83,481	$16,993
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver	PA	1	$81,092	$25,648
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	PA	57	$81,092	$25,648
Pennsylvania State University-World Campus	PA	—	$81,092	$25,648
University of California-Los Angeles	CA	30	$79,143	—
Texas A&M University-College Station	TX	46	$74,594	$18,686
Texas Tech University	TX	17	$74,591	$25,250
San Diego State University	CA	21	$73,647	$21,500
California State University-Sacramento	CA	26	$73,418	$15,000
University of California-Davis	CA	20	$73,337	$16,000
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	CA	14	$73,305	$19,375
Lehigh University	PA	11	$72,978	$19,707
Colorado State University-Fort Collins	CO	34	$71,631	$22,250
University of California-Irvine	CA	40	$70,820	$14,916
University of South Carolina-Columbia	SC	14	$70,284	$23,250
Rutgers University-New Brunswick	NJ	4	$70,106	$24,068
Rutgers University-Newark	NJ	1	$70,106	$24,068
California State University-Bakersfield	CA	11	$69,989	—
University of Florida	FL	27	$69,943	$19,737
University of Florida-Online	FL	22	$69,943	$19,737
University of Connecticut	CT	8	$69,610	—
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus	CT	0	$69,610	—
University of Connecticut-Avery Point	CT	0	$69,610	—
University of Connecticut-Stamford	CT	0	$69,610	—
University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus	CT	0	$69,610	—
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	CA	23	$69,227	$15,000
University of Wyoming	WY	30	$68,883	$18,960
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	IL	18	$68,201	$21,875
University of Houston	TX	27	$68,127	$24,875
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	LA	35	$67,493	$19,500
Western Washington University	WA	52	$67,208	$22,969
Ohio University-Eastern Campus	OH	0	$66,922	$18,500
Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus	OH	0	$66,922	$18,500
Ohio University-Southern Campus	OH	0	$66,922	$18,500
Ohio University-Lancaster Campus	OH	0	$66,922	$18,500
Ohio University-Main Campus	OH	29	$66,922	$18,500
Ohio University-Zanesville Campus	OH	0	$66,922	$18,500
University of Washington-Seattle Campus	WA	97	$66,845	$19,000
University of Washington-Bothell Campus	WA	8	$66,845	$19,000
West Virginia University	WV	13	$66,798	$22,719
University of California-Santa Barbara	CA	50	$66,788	$16,298
Florida State University	FL	12	$66,157	—
University of Southern Mississippi	MS	17	$66,142	—
Montclair State University	NJ	24	$65,826	$21,750
The University of Texas at Arlington	TX	17	$65,294	$25,000
Iowa State University	IA	16	$65,204	$24,781
State University of New York at Oswego	NY	15	$64,634	$27,000
University of California-Santa Cruz	CA	42	$64,499	$20,833
SUNY Oneonta	NY	15	$64,410	—
College of Charleston	SC	16	$63,993	$22,659
University of Minnesota-Duluth	MN	9	$63,893	$27,219
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	WI	15	$63,838	$26,500
Eastern Connecticut State University	CT	15	$63,566	$24,124
University of Arizona	AZ	58	$63,387	$24,250
Auburn University	AL	18	$63,298	$26,000
University of Utah	UT	27	$62,867	—
Michigan State University	MI	13	$62,448	$28,869
Southern New Hampshire University	NH	97	$62,360	$20,875
Mississippi State University	MS	87	$62,082	$21,500
SUNY College at Potsdam	NY	4	$62,004	—
Grand Valley State University	MI	23	$61,868	$27,000
University of Kansas	KS	10	$61,838	$26,469
University of South Alabama	AL	2	$61,632	—
University of Illinois Chicago	IL	19	$61,206	$21,500
North Carolina State University at Raleigh	NC	39	$61,023	$20,029
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	MI	64	$60,949	$17,875
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	MN	19	$60,715	$21,000
University of South Florida	FL	32	$60,472	$24,405
University of Colorado Boulder	CO	35	$60,453	$19,500
University of North Carolina Wilmington	NC	19	$60,414	$22,995
Northern Arizona University	AZ	23	$60,402	$21,251
University of West Georgia	GA	10	$60,355	$22,054
Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania	PA	43	$60,075	$27,000
State University of New York at Cortland	NY	11	$60,027	—
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	VA	25	$59,969	—
University at Buffalo	NY	48	$59,841	$19,750
University of California-Riverside	CA	8	$59,677	—
Miami University-Oxford	OH	50	$59,558	$19,500
Salem State University	MA	13	$59,424	—
Missouri University of Science and Technology	MO	15	$59,252	—
California State University-Fullerton	CA	40	$58,891	$16,625
The University of Texas at Dallas	TX	6	$58,840	$25,500
University of Wisconsin-Madison	WI	26	$58,771	$24,250
Pacific Lutheran University	WA	12	$58,472	—
Western Michigan University	MI	14	$58,164	—
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus	NH	7	$58,045	—
University of Northern Colorado	CO	15	$57,989	$24,121
Portland State University	OR	13	$57,932	$21,253
University of Houston-Downtown	TX	16	$57,892	$18,529
Pennsylvania Western University	PA	18	$57,549	—
The University of Texas at San Antonio	TX	17	$57,540	$18,500
University of Pittsburgh-Bradford	PA	4	$57,456	$25,000
University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown	PA	19	$57,456	$25,000
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus	PA	87	$57,456	$25,000
Central Michigan University	MI	8	$57,438	$31,000
Lafayette College	PA	9	$57,318	—
Wayne State University	MI	16	$57,203	—
Lake Superior State University	MI	2	$56,905	—
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire	WI	26	$56,739	$21,000

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences graduates earn? ▼

Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences graduates earn $65,189 on average across 456 schools. Earnings range from $56,739 to $85,207 depending on the institution.

Which school pays the most for Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences? ▼

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus has the highest reported median earnings for Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences graduates at $85,207, based on College Scorecard data.

What credential do you get in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences? ▼

Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences programs typically award a Bachelor's credential. Earnings vary by school and credential level.

Top Schools for Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences

Closest schools offering this program — compare earnings side by side

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

$85,207 median

The University of Texas at Austin

$83,481 median

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver

$81,092 median

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

$81,092 median

Pennsylvania State University-World Campus

$81,092 median

Compare University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus vs The University of Texas at Austin →

About This Data

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Median earnings represent graduates who received federal financial aid, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal student aid applicants. Completers count and debt figures reflect program-level data reported through IPEDS. Data is updated annually.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.