2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Studies in the Far Western US Region
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2019-2020, 9,869 people earned their degree in environmental studies, making the major the 85th most popular in the United States.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 2,323 environmental studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,988 environmental studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 30 colleges that offer a degree in environmental studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality environmental studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the environmental studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Studies in the Far Western US Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Monterey Bay. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - Monterey Bay is a public institution located in Seaside, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUMB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $12,212 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students per year to attend CSUMB.
The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Monterey Bay Environmental Studies Report
Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students list, SDSU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,788 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Environmental Studies at San Diego State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Washington University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. This fairly large school is located in Bellingham, Washington, and it awarded 112 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.
WWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $16,529 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students per year to attend WWU.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - East Bay. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State East Bay, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $11,116 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students.
Read full report on Environmental Studies at Cal State East Bay
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.
SFSU also took the #23 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $15,113 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students.
With a ranking of #7, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 31 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students list, Humboldt State University has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $14,692 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students.
Read full report on Environmental Studies at Humboldt State University
With a ranking of #8, Central Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Ellensburg, Washington, this fairly large public school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s ecosystem studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Central Washington University is $15,397 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students.
Full Central Washington University Environmental Studies Report
Portland State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Portland, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,040 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students per year to attend Portland State University.
Read more about Environmental Studies at Portland State University
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 71 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.
UW Seattle also made our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $13,297 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students.
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.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Environmental Studies Report
Southern Oregon University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Ashland, Oregon, this medium-sized public school handed out 28 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ecosystem studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Southern Oregon University is $10,386 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students.
Read full report on Environmental Studies at Southern Oregon University
University of Oregon landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. UO is a large school located in Eugene, Oregon that handed out 88 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students list, UO has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UO is $16,461 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees to 358 students in 2019-2020.
UCSB also took the #6 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of California - San Diego came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 66 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,232 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Gonzaga University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit institution located in Spokane, Washington. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Gonzaga, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $33,793 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students per year to attend Gonzaga University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Irvine came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students list, UC Irvine has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 94%.
With a ranking of #17, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees to 76 students in 2019-2020.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $14,669 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students per year to attend University of California - Davis.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Environmental Studies at University of California - Davis
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #18. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 311 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $15,329 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Berkeley Environmental Studies Report
Seattle University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Seattle University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Seattle U also made our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for Seattle U is $34,802 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #20. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 213 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Portland did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #21. University of Portland is a private not-for-profit institution located in Portland, Oregon. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Portland also took the #15 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Portland is $36,464 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Santa Clara University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Santa Clara, California, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.
SCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Santa Clara University is $38,327 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Puget Sound came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Puget Sound is a small school located in Tacoma, Washington that handed out 24 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Puget Sound, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Puget Sound is $35,149 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Environmental Studies at University of Puget Sound
University of Redlands landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. This small school is located in Redlands, California, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Redlands also made our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $27,958 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students per year to attend University of Redlands.
The low 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%.
Read full report on Environmental Studies at University of Redlands
University of San Francisco ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 26 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $36,424 for far western us region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students per year to attend USFCA.
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 more about Environmental Studies at University of San Francisco
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Lynn Betts.
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