by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 1,060 people earned their degree in ecology, making the major the 416th most popular in the United States.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major” ranking, we looked at 90 colleges that offer a degree in ecology. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their ecology program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The colleges and universities below are the best for ecology students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sterling College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. Craftsbury Common, Vermont is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ecology degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Out of the 90 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Connecticut College landed the #2 spot on the list. Conn College is a small school located in New London, Connecticut that handed out 23 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend College of the Ozarks. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major. Hard Work U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Point Lookout, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hampshire College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major. Hampshire College is a small school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 4 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Susquehanna University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major. Susquehanna University is a small school located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania that handed out 10 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
The University of Montana - Western landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. The University of Montana - Western is a public institution located in Dillon, Montana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Franklin College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. Franklin College is located in Franklin, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s ecology degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Siena College ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. Siena is located in Loudonville, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s ecology degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Southwestern Adventist University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. Southwestern Adventist University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Keene, Texas. It awarded 2 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. Located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, this large public school awarded 80 degrees to qualified ’s ecology students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking, coming in at #11. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ecology degrees to 71 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Castleton University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. Castleton University is a small school located in Castleton, Vermont that handed out 5 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
Iowa State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 86 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Western Colorado University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. Western is a small public school situated in Gunnison, Colorado. It awarded 5 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Maryland - College Park landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. UMCP is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 78 ’s ecology degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Seattle Pacific University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking, coming in at #16. SPU is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s ecology degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking, coming in at #17. University of Maryland Eastern Shore is located in Princess Anne, Maryland and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s ecology degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Ecology at University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Le Moyne College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking, coming in at #18. Le Moyne College is a small school located in Syracuse, New York that handed out 6 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Saint Cloud State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, and it awarded 15 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Northern State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. Located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, this small public school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified ’s ecology students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Northwest Nazarene University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. This small school is located in Nampa, Idaho, and it awarded 3 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Central Washington University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. Located in Ellensburg, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 17 degrees to qualified ’s ecology students in 2020-2021.
University of North Texas ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. UNT is a large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 51 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
University of Georgia landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. Located in Athens, Georgia, this large public school awarded 60 diplomas to qualified ’s ecology students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Connecticut did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking, coming in at #25. UCONN is a public institution located in Storrs, Connecticut. The school has a large population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
