2023 Best Environmental Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
8
Ranked Colleges
784
Degrees Awarded
$35,200
Avg Cost*

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Ecosystem Studies” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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 Southwest region, there were 784 environmental studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Ecosystem Studies” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered a degree in environmental studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent environmental studies programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the environmental studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Ecosystem Studies”.
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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Ecosystem Studies
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region vets studying ecosystem studies.
Top 8 Best Environmental Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Ecosystem Studies list. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 74 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M College Station, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 5 of the 70,418 students enrolled at Texas A&M College Station were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,925. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Ecosystem Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school awarded 204 diplomas to qualified ’s ecosystem studies students in 2020-2021.
ASU - Tempe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 7,566 of the 74,795 students enrolled at Arizona State University - Tempe were GI Bill® students, of which 3,828 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,068. During this same period, 672 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Arizona State University - Tempe does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at Arizona State University - Tempe]](/colleges/arizona-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Ecosystem Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Oklahoma is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 54 ’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.
University of Oklahoma did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 12 of the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus were GI Bill® students, of which 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,720. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Oklahoma Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Arizona. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Ecosystem Studies. Located in Tucson, Arizona, this large public school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified ’s ecosystem studies students in 2020-2021.
University of Arizona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 45,601 students enrolled at University of Arizona, 2,131 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,478 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,880. To help with additional expenses, 31 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Arizona]](/colleges/university-of-arizona/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Arizona University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Ecosystem Studies list. Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, this large public school awarded 46 diplomas to qualified ’s ecosystem studies students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NAU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, NAU supports 29,566 students, and 1,055 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 622 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,378. On top of their other funding sources, 56 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full NAU Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #6, Saint Edward’s University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Ecosystem Studies list. This small school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 13 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying ecosystem studies list, St. Edward’s University has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 3,591 students enrolled at Saint Edward’s University, 170 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 141 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $28,263. In addition to receiving other benefits, 79 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at Saint Edward’s University]](/colleges/saint-edwards-university/student-life/veterans/)
University of Phoenix - Arizona came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Ecosystem Studies ranking. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s ecosystem studies degrees to 142 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UOPX - Arizona, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 89,763 students enrolled at UOPX - Arizona, 135 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 157 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,437. During this same period, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UOPX - Arizona offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Baylor University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Ecosystem Studies ranking. This large school is located in Waco, Texas, and it awarded 20 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying ecosystem studies list, Baylor has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 19,297 students enrolled at Baylor University, 876 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 593 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,744. To help with additional expenses, 263 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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.