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2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

6 Ranked Colleges
192 Degrees Awarded
$9,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Ecology is the 384th most popular major in the country with 1,130 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Plains States region, there were 198 ecology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 192 ecology graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer a degree in ecology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality ecology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the ecology program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Ecology Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 6 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Ecology (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

#1

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington University in St Louis. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Ecology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $5,273 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WUSTL.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Ecology at WUSTL

#2

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 34 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities also took the #2 spot in our “Best Ecology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $7,266 for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Ecology at UMN Twin Cities

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Iowa State University is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 106 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also took the #3 spot in our “Best Ecology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $10,054 for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on Ecology at Iowa State University

#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Ecology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNI is $10,757 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UNI Ecology Report

#5

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Cloud State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Cloud State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Ecology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for St. Cloud State University is $10,688 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Ecology at Saint Cloud State University

#6

Northern State University

Aberdeen, South Dakota
#5 in overall quality

Northern State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, this small public school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s ecology students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NSU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Ecology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NSU is $13,133 for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Ecology at NSU

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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