2023 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region
8
Ranked Colleges
682
Degrees Awarded
$11,200
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 9,899 people earned their degree in environmental studies, making the major the 87th most popular in the United States.
Across the Rocky Mountains region, there were 682 environmental studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in environmental studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great environmental studies programs and cost less that 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 environmental studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Environmental Studies 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 Ecosystem Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Ecosystem Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region ecosystem studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wyoming. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW is a fairly large school located in Laramie, Wyoming that handed out 45 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW is $6,905 for Rocky Mountains Region Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Environmental Studies at UW
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Colorado Boulder. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. CU - Boulder is a large school located in Boulder, Colorado that handed out 268 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
CU - Boulder did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $13,141 for rocky mountains region ecosystem studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Colorado Boulder.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Environmental Studies at University of Colorado Boulder
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Utah State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Logan, Utah, and it awarded 31 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
USU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for USU is $9,148 for rocky mountains region ecosystem studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Environmental Studies at Utah State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Utah. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. U of U is a large public school situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. It awarded 98 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U of U, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Utah is $10,431 for Rocky Mountains Region Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Environmental Studies at U of U
Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Montana landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Missoula, Montana, this fairly large public school awarded 36 degrees to qualified ’s ecosystem studies students in 2020-2021.
UM also took the #4 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UM is $12,739 for rocky mountains region ecosystem studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full The University of Montana Environmental Studies Report
With a ranking of #6, Boise State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Boise State University is a public institution located in Boise, Idaho. The school has a large population, and it awarded 48 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Boise State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $12,561 for Rocky Mountains Region Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Boise State University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Boise State University Environmental Studies Report
Western Colorado University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Western Colorado University is a small school located in Gunnison, Colorado that handed out 62 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Western also made our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Western Colorado University is $13,146 for Rocky Mountains Region Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Western Environmental Studies Report
Fort Lewis College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Fort Lewis College is a public institution located in Durango, Colorado. The school has a small population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
FLC also took the #8 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend FLC is $11,492 for Rocky Mountains Region Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Environmental Studies at Fort Lewis College
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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
- *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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Lynn Betts.