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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology in the Plains States Region

12 Ranked Colleges
270 Degrees Awarded
$17,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 7,312 people earned their degree in ecology, evolution and systematics biology, making the major the 103rd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, ecology, evolution and systematics biology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,807 and had an average of $31,265 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 401 ecology, evolution and systematics biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,500 and $23,113 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 270 ecology, evolution and systematics biology 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” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree in ecology, evolution and systematics biology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent ecology, evolution and systematics biology programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the ecology, evolution and systematics biology program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools

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 “Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology in the Plains States Region

#1

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Bemidji State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Bemidji State University is located in Bemidji, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s ecology degrees to qualified students.

Bemidji State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Bemidji State University is $15,868 for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students.

Read more about Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at Bemidji State University

#2

Northern State University

Aberdeen, South Dakota
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region. NSU is a public institution located in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees 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, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $15,851 for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students per year to attend NSU.

Read more about Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at NSU

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minnesota State University - Moorhead. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Minnesota State University - Moorhead is a medium-sized public school situated in Moorhead, Minnesota. It awarded 10 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MSU Moorhead, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend MSU Moorhead is $16,893 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Minnesota State University - Moorhead Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #4 spot on the list. UNI is a medium-sized school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 9 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students list, UNI has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Northern Iowa is $15,620 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Northern Iowa Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

#5

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Cloud State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region. St. Cloud State University is a fairly large public school situated in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. It awarded 28 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at St. Cloud State University, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend St. Cloud State University is $14,267 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students.

Full St. Cloud State University Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

Iowa State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 106 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also made our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $15,496 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at Iowa State

Northwest Missouri State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Maryville, Missouri, this medium-sized public school handed out 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ecology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students list, Northwest has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $12,354 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students per year to attend Northwest.

Read more about Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at Northwest

#8

Washburn University

Topeka, Kansas
#10 in overall quality

Washburn University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Washburn University is a public institution located in Topeka, Kansas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students list, Washburn University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washburn University is $14,481 for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students.

Read full report on Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at Washburn University

#9 in overall quality

Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts & Sciences landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. CMU CLAS is located in Fayette, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s ecology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CMU CLAS, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $21,082 for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students per year to attend CMU CLAS.

Read more about Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

#10

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ecology degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $17,740 for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at UMN Twin Cities

#11

Drury University

Springfield, Missouri
#12 in overall quality

Drury University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. This small school is located in Springfield, Missouri, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

Drury University also took the #12 spot in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Drury University is $18,419 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students.

Full Drury University Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

#12

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s ecology degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

WUSTL also took the #1 spot in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington University in St Louis is $26,869 for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students.

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 low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at Washington University in St Louis

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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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