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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Studies in the Rocky Mountains Region

11 Ranked Colleges
533 Degrees Awarded
$18,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in the Rocky Mountains Region

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region” 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 the Rocky Mountains region, there were 664 environmental studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 533 environmental studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,111 and $23,874 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region” 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.

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.

More Ways to Rank Environmental Studies Schools

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region” 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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Studies in the Rocky Mountains Region

#1

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wyoming. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region. UW is a fairly large school located in Laramie, Wyoming that handed out 43 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UW also took the #4 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $12,159 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students per year to attend University of Wyoming.

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 UW

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Utah State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Logan, Utah 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $13,634 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students per year to attend Utah State University.

Read more about Environmental Studies at USU

#3

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Utah. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this large public school awarded 102 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s ecosystem studies students in 2019-2020.

U of U also made our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend U of U is $14,773 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Full University of Utah Environmental Studies Report

#4

Western Colorado University

Gunnison, Colorado
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Colorado University landed the #4 spot on the list. Western Colorado University is a small school located in Gunnison, Colorado that handed out 38 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Western not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $17,282 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students per year to attend Western Colorado University.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at Western Colorado University

#5

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado
#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Fort Lewis College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region. Fort Lewis College is a small school located in Durango, Colorado that handed out 35 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

FLC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend FLC is $16,274 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students.

Full Fort Lewis College Environmental Studies Report

#6

Boise State University

Boise, Idaho
#9 in overall quality

Boise State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Boise, Idaho is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees to 63 students in 2019-2020.

Boise State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Boise State is $15,787 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students.

Full Boise State University Environmental Studies Report

#7

The College of Idaho

Caldwell, Idaho
#5 in overall quality

The College of Idaho landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Caldwell, Idaho is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at The College of Idaho, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The College of Idaho is $21,005 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Full The College of Idaho Environmental Studies Report

#2 in overall quality

University of Colorado Boulder ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. CU - Boulder is a large public school situated in Boulder, Colorado. It awarded 185 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

CU - Boulder also took the #2 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CU - Boulder is $21,680 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Colorado Boulder Environmental Studies Report

#9

Westminster College Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah
#8 in overall quality

Westminster College Utah did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ecosystem studies students in 2019-2020.

Westminster College Salt Lake also made our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Westminster College Utah is $20,674 for Rocky Mountains 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 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at Westminster College Salt Lake

#10

Naropa University

Boulder, Colorado
#11 in overall quality

Naropa University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Naropa is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boulder, Colorado. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students list, Naropa has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Naropa University is $25,871 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students.

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 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Naropa University Environmental Studies Report

#11

Colorado College

Colorado Springs, Colorado
#1 in overall quality

Colorado College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Colorado Springs, Colorado is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

Colorado College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Colorado College is $26,753 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Environmental Studies at Colorado 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

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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