2026 Best Value Geography & Cartography Schools in Alabama

[Geography & Cartography](/majors/social-sciences/geography-and-cartography/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools to find the best return on investment for geography & cartography students.
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2026 Best Value Geography & Cartography Schools in Alabama
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in geography & cartography, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Geography & Cartography Schools
For return on investment in geography & cartography, no school beat University Of North Alabama this year. Set in the city of Florence, University Of North Alabama is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,120, compared with $22,320 for out-of-state students. Geography & Cartography graduates carry a median of $28,500 in student loans. Early-career geography & cartography graduates make about $41,076. That is a strong return on a $28,500 median debt. Roughly 87% of applicants are accepted.
Troy University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value geography & cartography schools. Troy University is a large public school located in the town of Troy. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,176, compared with $20,352 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for geography & cartography graduates is $26,439. Soon after graduation, geography & cartography degree recipients from Troy University generally make around $46,723. Set against $26,439 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Troy University admits about 96% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in geography & cartography will find it at Auburn University, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Auburn, Auburn University is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,890, with out-of-state students paying around $34,922. Typical student debt for geography & cartography graduates is $22,803. Early-career geography & cartography graduates make about $55,422. That is a strong return on a $22,803 median debt. The acceptance rate is 46%.
More Geography & Cartography Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled 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 · 9 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.