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2022 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

11 Ranked Colleges
262 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Environmental Studies is the 85th most popular major in the country with 9,869 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 262 environmental studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 11 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 38 degrees to qualified ’s ecosystem studies students in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $7,934 for illinois ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Chicago Environmental Studies Report

#2

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #2 spot on the list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 ’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

NIU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,346 for illinois ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Environmental Studies at NIU

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 12 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIS is $11,857 for illinois ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at University of Illinois at Springfield

#4

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 29 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, Augustana has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $21,453 for illinois ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Augustana Environmental Studies Report

#5

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Knox College landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Galesburg, Illinois, and it awarded 13 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, Knox has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,653 for illinois ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Knox.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at Knox

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 25 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, SIUC has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $14,985 for Illinois Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Environmental Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 16 degrees to qualified ’s ecosystem studies students in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University also took the #11 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $18,180 for Illinois Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Environmental Studies at Northeastern Illinois University

#8

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Lake Forest is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 ’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lake Forest, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lake Forest College is $24,683 for illinois ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at Lake Forest

#9

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Illinois Wesleyan is located in Bloomington, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 ’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

Illinois Wesleyan not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Wesleyan is $23,309 for illinois ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Illinois Wesleyan University Environmental Studies Report

#10

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. DePaul is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 18 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $28,075 for illinois ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend DePaul University.

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%.

Read more about Environmental Studies at DePaul University

#11

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 16 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also took the #4 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $32,259 for Illinois Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Loyola University Chicago.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Loyola University Chicago Environmental Studies Report

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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Lynn Betts.

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