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2022 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Studies in Illinois (With Aid)

11 Ranked Colleges
262 Degrees Awarded
$23,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the environmental studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The ecosystem studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid”.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Studies in Illinois (With Aid)

#1

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 34 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for illinois ecosystem studies students with aid.

Read more about Environmental Studies at Northern Illinois University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. UIS is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 ’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois ecosystem studies students with aid list, UIS has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $12,477 for illinois ecosystem studies students with aid per year to attend UIS.

Full University of Illinois at Springfield Environmental Studies Report

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for Illinois Ecosystem Studies students with aid.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Environmental Studies Report

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #4 spot on the list. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ecosystem studies degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,945 for Illinois Ecosystem Studies students with aid.

Full SIUC Environmental Studies Report

#5

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Augustana College landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 29 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana also made our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $23,874 for illinois ecosystem studies students with aid per year to attend Augustana College.

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.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at Augustana

#6

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Knox College is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 ’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

Knox also made our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Knox College is $22,292 for illinois ecosystem studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Environmental Studies at Knox

#7

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 38 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $27,315 for Illinois Ecosystem Studies students with aid per year to attend University of Chicago.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read more about Environmental Studies at University of Chicago

#8

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 16 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

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 $26,426 for Illinois Ecosystem Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at Lake Forest College

#9

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is a small school located in Bloomington, Illinois that handed out 8 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois ecosystem studies students with aid list, Illinois Wesleyan has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,039 for Illinois Ecosystem Studies students with aid per year to attend Illinois Wesleyan.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Read more about Environmental Studies at Illinois Wesleyan

#10

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ecosystem studies degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois ecosystem studies students with aid list, DePaul has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $30,090 for Illinois Ecosystem Studies students with aid per year to attend DePaul.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at DePaul University

#11

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 16 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Chicago is $35,407 for Illinois Ecosystem Studies students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Environmental Studies at Loyola University Chicago

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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