[Geographic Information Science](/majors/social-sciences/geography-and-cartography/geographic-information-science/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for geographic information science students.
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Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in geographic information science, balancing cost against outcomes.
Our analysis ranked Rowan University the best value for a degree in geographic information science in New Jersey. Set in the suburb of Glassboro, Rowan University is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $16,574, with out-of-state students paying around $26,932. Typical student debt for geographic information science graduates is $25,250. Early-career geographic information science graduates make about $44,380. Set against $25,250 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 78% of applicants are accepted.
More Geographic Information Science Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
