[Geographic Information Science](/majors/social-sciences/geography-and-cartography/geographic-information-science/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 5 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for geographic information science students.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the geographic information science degrees they offer, see the list below.
The University Of Tennessee tops our 2026 list of the best value geographic information science schools in Tennessee. The University Of Tennessee is a very large public school located in the city of Knoxville. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,812, while out-of-state students pay about $33,256. Typical student debt for geographic information science graduates is $26,000. Geographic Information Science graduates of The University Of Tennessee earn a median of $44,553 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $26,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 42%.
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 · 5 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.
