University of Akron Geology and Earth Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
- Public university
- Akron, OH
- About 17 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Akron geology and earth science graduates earn about what geology and earth science graduates earn nationally, $39,678 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, more than at 76% of geology and earth science programs in the country. Two other Ohio programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Ohio and national columns are the medians across all geology and earth science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of Akron graduates earn more than the national figure and about $6,936 more than the Ohio median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio geology and earth science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Ohio medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
What graduates earn over time
Pay rises about 51% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 8.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
85% of graduates (29 of 34) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the Akron area are about 7% below the national average, so a $39,678 salary here buys what about $42,495 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to geology and earth science, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Natural Sciences Managers
$137,170Median pay in Ohio. 1,560 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers
$81,220Median pay in Ohio. 410 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians
$48,890Median pay in Ohio. 130 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.
Hydrologists
$98,200Median pay in Ohio. 390 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
About University of Akron
Geology and Earth Science ranks 30th of 51 bachelor's programs at University of Akron by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($77,622), Chemical Engineering ($71,873), and Mechanical Engineering ($71,448).
Other geology and earth science bachelor's programs near Akron
Common questions
The median graduate earns $39,678 one year after graduating and $60,028 five years after. The median across geology and earth science bachelor's programs in Ohio is $39,500.
The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 5th lowest of 6 geology and earth science bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 68% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 60%. Compare the cost with other Ohio programs before deciding.
Most do. 85% (29 of 34) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Ohio comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the geology and earth science program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024