{
  "major": "Geosciences",
  "slug": "geosciences",
  "field": "Physical & Earth Sciences",
  "as_of": "2026",
  "url": "https://collegeranked.com/best-geosciences-schools/",
  "source": "U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2026 release); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
  "metric_definitions": {
    "median_earnings": "Median earnings one year after graduation (Scorecard)",
    "net_price": "Average annual cost of attendance after grant aid. For PUBLIC schools this reflects IN-STATE cost; out-of-state students pay more.",
    "roi_10yr_usd": "Ten years of earnings minus four years of net price",
    "public": "true = public university (net_price is in-state basis); false = private (residency-neutral)"
  },
  "total_colleges_with_reported_data": 109,
  "shown": 25,
  "ranking": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "school": "Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver",
      "state": "PA",
      "median_earnings": 53908,
      "net_price": 17418,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 469408,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "school": "Pennsylvania State University-World Campus",
      "state": "PA",
      "median_earnings": 53908,
      "net_price": 19550,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 460880,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "school": "University of South Florida",
      "state": "FL",
      "median_earnings": 48565,
      "net_price": 9812,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 446402,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "school": "University of Wyoming",
      "state": "WY",
      "median_earnings": 45758,
      "net_price": 13599,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 403184,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "school": "Kean University",
      "state": "NJ",
      "median_earnings": 50645,
      "net_price": 12447,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 456662,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "school": "University of California-Santa Cruz",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 43362,
      "net_price": 17890,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 362060,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "school": "Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus",
      "state": "PA",
      "median_earnings": 53908,
      "net_price": 32875,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 407580,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 8,
      "school": "University of Houston-Downtown",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 50894,
      "net_price": 10542,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 466772,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 9,
      "school": "University of California-Davis",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 43462,
      "net_price": 14741,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 375656,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 10,
      "school": "University of Wisconsin-Madison",
      "state": "WI",
      "median_earnings": 43068,
      "net_price": 17354,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 361264,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 11,
      "school": "University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee",
      "state": "WI",
      "median_earnings": 42932,
      "net_price": 15014,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 369264,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 12,
      "school": "University of Michigan-Ann Arbor",
      "state": "MI",
      "median_earnings": 45974,
      "net_price": 13138,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 407188,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 13,
      "school": "East Carolina University",
      "state": "NC",
      "median_earnings": 44961,
      "net_price": 15739,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 386654,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 14,
      "school": "Texas A&M University-College Station",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 44585,
      "net_price": 21315,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 360590,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 15,
      "school": "The University of Texas at San Antonio",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 42779,
      "net_price": 10836,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 384446,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 16,
      "school": "University of Florida-Online",
      "state": "FL",
      "median_earnings": 40691,
      "net_price": 4815,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 387650,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 17,
      "school": "California State University-Fullerton",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 35509,
      "net_price": 6555,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 328870,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 18,
      "school": "College of Charleston",
      "state": "SC",
      "median_earnings": 49786,
      "net_price": 18960,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 422020,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 19,
      "school": "California State Polytechnic University-Pomona",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 49406,
      "net_price": 11531,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 447936,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 20,
      "school": "Weber State University",
      "state": "UT",
      "median_earnings": 47998,
      "net_price": 10258,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 438948,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 21,
      "school": "University of Florida",
      "state": "FL",
      "median_earnings": 40691,
      "net_price": 6541,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 380746,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 22,
      "school": "University of California-Irvine",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 38804,
      "net_price": 14251,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 331036,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 23,
      "school": "University of Minnesota-Twin Cities",
      "state": "MN",
      "median_earnings": 44825,
      "net_price": 16778,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 381138,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 24,
      "school": "Colorado State University-Fort Collins",
      "state": "CO",
      "median_earnings": 41158,
      "net_price": 21279,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 326464,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 25,
      "school": "Texas Tech University",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 49727,
      "net_price": 19070,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 420990,
      "public": true
    }
  ]
}