Program ranking · CIP 40.06 bachelor's · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Best Colleges for Geology

Using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data retrieved March-July 2026, these colleges rank highest on median earnings for Geology (CIP 40.06) bachelor's completers. Rankings use earnings only - not prestige, selectivity, or editorial judgment - and require at least 25 completers so tiny suppressed cohorts do not dominate the list.

Compiled by PlainCollege , College outcomes data analysis

$83,481
Highest geology earnings: 42
Colleges ranked: $45,002
#42 cutoff

The list in one line

Every college on this list reports at least $45,002 median earnings for Geology bachelor's (CIP 40.06) completers. The University of Texas at Austin leads at $83,481.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$83,481
#1 - The University of: $45,002
#42 - the cutoff to make this list: 25+
completers required per school: 456
US schools offering this CIP

Earnings are field-of-study medians for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled; see methodology for horizon and lag details.

The University of Texas at

$83,481
Pennsylvania State Unive…

$81,092
University of California…

$79,143
Texas A&M University-Col…

$74,594
California State Univers…

$73,418
Colorado State Universit…

$71,631
University of California…

$70,820
University of Florida

$69,943
University of Wyoming

$68,883
University of Houston

$68,127
Louisiana State Universi…

$67,493
Western Washington Unive…

$67,208
Ohio University-Main Cam…

$66,922
University of Washington…

$66,845
University of California…

$66,788

What this shows Geoscience medians mix energy, environmental consulting, and government roles - debt still matters when commodity cycles swing hiring.

The full top 42

#	School Name	State	Median Earnings	Median Debt	Completers
1	The University of Texas at Austin	TX	$83,481	$16,993	46
2	Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	PA	$81,092	$25,648	57
3	University of California-Los Angeles	CA	$79,143	-	30
4	Texas A&M University-College Station	TX	$74,594	$18,686	46
5	California State University-Sacramento	CA	$73,418	$15,000	26
6	Colorado State University-Fort Collins	CO	$71,631	$22,250	34
7	University of California-Irvine	CA	$70,820	$14,916	40
8	University of Florida	FL	$69,943	$19,737	27
9	University of Wyoming	WY	$68,883	$18,960	30
10	University of Houston	TX	$68,127	$24,875	27
11	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	LA	$67,493	$19,500	35
12	Western Washington University	WA	$67,208	$22,969	52
13	Ohio University-Main Campus	OH	$66,922	$18,500	29
14	University of Washington-Seattle Campus	WA	$66,845	$19,000	97
15	University of California-Santa Barbara	CA	$66,788	$16,298	50
16	University of California-Santa Cruz	CA	$64,499	$20,833	42
17	University of Arizona	AZ	$63,387	$24,250	58
18	University of Utah	UT	$62,867	-	27
19	Southern New Hampshire University	NH	$62,360	$20,875	97
20	Mississippi State University	MS	$62,082	$21,500	87
21	North Carolina State University at Raleigh	NC	$61,023	$20,029	39
22	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	MI	$60,949	$17,875	64
23	University of South Florida	FL	$60,472	$24,405	32
24	University of Colorado Boulder	CO	$60,453	$19,500	35
25	Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania	PA	$60,075	$27,000	43
26	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	VA	$59,969	-	25
27	University at Buffalo	NY	$59,841	$19,750	48
28	Miami University-Oxford	OH	$59,558	$19,500	50
29	California State University-Fullerton	CA	$58,891	$16,625	40
30	University of Wisconsin-Madison	WI	$58,771	$24,250	26
31	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus	PA	$57,456	$25,000	87
32	University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire	WI	$56,739	$21,000	26
33	Binghamton University	NY	$53,761	-	54
34	Ohio State University-Main Campus	OH	$53,381	$25,000	28
35	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt	CA	$53,371	$19,940	26
36	Appalachian State University	NC	$53,269	$22,291	27
37	University of North Carolina at Charlotte	NC	$53,247	$22,980	70
38	University of Nevada-Las Vegas	NV	$52,278	$15,000	29
39	Wright State University-Main Campus	OH	$50,824	$26,000	26
40	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	$50,202	$25,000	28
41	Montana State University	MT	$49,241	$20,064	49
42	Washington State University	WA	$45,002	$20,433	104

About This Ranking

Schools are ranked by College Scorecard field-of-study median earnings for Geology (CIP 40.06) bachelor's completers. Only operating schools with at least 25 completers and a published median are included. Ties break toward larger completer cohorts. For the full program profile - including every reporting school and national distribution - see Geology (bachelor's). Methodology lives on our methodology page.

Caveats and limitations

"Best" here means highest reported median earnings for the stated CIP scope - not teaching quality, licensure pass rates, clinical placement strength, or fit for any one student. This list covers Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (CIP 40.06) bachelor's programs - environmental science (CIP 03 family) is ranked separately.

Figures cover federally aided completers only, use Treasury-linked earnings, and describe a lagged cohort. Regional pay scales and graduate-school paths both move the median without proving a causal school effect.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute academic or career advice. Earnings do not predict any individual graduate's outcome.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard field-of-study data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.