College ROI

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Back to Miscellaneous Engineering

Geological/Geophysical Engineering.

Bachelor's Degree15 Institutions

Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.

Annual Full Cost vs. Median Earnings

Each dot represents one program at an institution. Shows the spread of annual sticker price (or net price if sticker price is unavailable) vs earnings 4 years post-grad.

Field Median ($78,079)
P25-P75 Interval ($75,259 - $88,484)
HS Baseline ($35,872)
Breakeven Line (0% ROI)
Institution
State
Earnings
Avg Net PriceMedian Debt
Lifetime Value Added
Butte
MT
$93,629
Nat: $77,880
4yr Post-Grad
$16,481
/yr
-
+$251k
Houghton
MI
$81,862
Nat: $77,880
4yr Post-Grad
$14,182
/yr
$23,198
+$169k
Golden
CO
$88,484
Nat: $77,880
4yr Post-Grad
$28,690
/yr
$27,000
+$167k
Reno
NV
$78,079
Nat: $77,880
4yr Post-Grad
$15,927
/yr
-
+$134k
Rolla
MO
$75,259
Nat: $77,880
4yr Post-Grad
$16,298
/yr
$19,249
+$111k
Rapid City
SD
$75,779
Nat: $77,880
4yr Post-Grad
$20,183
/yr
-
+$101k
Madison
WI
$73,337
Nat: $77,880
4yr Post-Grad
$17,354
/yr
-
+$93k
University of Alaska Fairbanks
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Fairbanks
AK
-
Nat: $77,880
$10,892
/yr
-
-$0
Ann Arbor
MI
-
Nat: $77,880
$13,138
/yr
-
-$0
Minneapolis
MN
-
Nat: $77,880
$16,778
/yr
-
-$0
University
MS
-
Nat: $77,880
$13,314
/yr
$19,500
-$0
New Brunswick
NJ
-
Nat: $77,880
$24,406
/yr
-
-$0
Newark
NJ
-
Nat: $77,880
$19,703
/yr
-
-$0
Grand Forks
ND
-
Nat: $77,880
$18,551
/yr
-
-$0
Austin
TX
-
Nat: $77,880
$19,857
/yr
-
-$0
Analysis Notes:
  • Lifetime Value Added: Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes.
  • Avg Net Price: The average price paid by students who receive federal financial aid (grants/loans).
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator, or for more sophisticated analysis, the Guided ROI Interview, with your specific estimates of cost and salary.