2023 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Design & Architecture (Income $30-$48k)
23
Ranked Colleges
730
Degrees Awarded
$12,200
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 730 people earned their degree in environmental design and architecture, making the major the 505th most popular in the United States.
For this year’s “Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 23 colleges that offer a degree in environmental design and architecture. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great environmental design and architecture 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 design and architecture program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 23 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Design & Architecture (Income $30-$48k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Carolina State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 36 diplomas to qualified ’s environmental design students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k list, NC State has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,448 for environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend North Carolina State University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Environmental Design & Architecture at NC State
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s environmental design degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,999 for Environmental Design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Berkeley.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, 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 Design & Architecture Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified ’s environmental design students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus is $10,063 for Environmental Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Environmental Design & Architecture at University of Virginia
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #4 spot on the list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 59 ’s environmental design degrees in 2020-2021.
ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Tempe is $10,628 for Environmental Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Arizona State University - Tempe Environmental Design & Architecture Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of South Florida - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. USF Tampa is a large school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 4 ’s environmental design degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k list, USF Tampa has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,632 for Environmental Design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend USF Tampa.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, 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 92%.
Read full report on Environmental Design & Architecture at University of South Florida - Main Campus
Clemson University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Clemson, South Carolina, this large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified ’s environmental design students in 2020-2021.
Clemson did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Clemson University is $16,650 for environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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%.
Read more about Environmental Design & Architecture at Clemson University
Florida Atlantic University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. FAU is a large school located in Boca Raton, Florida that handed out 23 ’s environmental design degrees in 2020-2021.
FAU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for FAU is $8,262 for Environmental Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Environmental Design & Architecture at Florida Atlantic University
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 14 ’s environmental design degrees in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $8,609 for Environmental Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.
Read more about Environmental Design & Architecture at UMN Twin Cities
Virginia Tech came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s environmental design degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k list, Virginia Tech has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,003 for environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Virginia Tech.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Environmental Design & Architecture at Virginia Tech
Iowa State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Iowa State is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s environmental design degrees to qualified students.
Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $11,427 for Environmental Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read more about Environmental Design & Architecture at Iowa State University
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified ’s environmental design students in 2020-2021.
UT Austin also made our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $14,977 for environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 UT Austin Environmental Design & Architecture Report
University of Houston landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Houston is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” list. It costs about $10,664 for Environmental Design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UH.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Environmental Design & Architecture at UH
University of Hawaii at Manoa ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it awarded 39 ’s environmental design degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k list, UH Manoa has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Hawaii at Manoa is $12,172 for environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Environmental Design & Architecture at University of Hawaii at Manoa
North Dakota State University - Main Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Fargo, North Dakota, and it awarded 13 ’s environmental design degrees in 2020-2021.
North Dakota State University also made our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $12,735 for environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend North Dakota State University.
The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Environmental Design & Architecture at North Dakota State University
Ball State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Muncie, Indiana, this large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified ’s environmental design students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ball State, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ball State University is $10,786 for Environmental Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Environmental Design & Architecture at Ball State University
University of Colorado Boulder ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Boulder, Colorado, and it awarded 150 ’s environmental design degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k list, CU - Boulder has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,901 for environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CU - Boulder.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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 85%.
Read more about Environmental Design & Architecture at University of Colorado Boulder
Texas Tech University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Texas Tech is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 4 ’s environmental design degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $10,440 for Environmental Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national 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.
Full Texas Tech University Environmental Design & Architecture Report
University at Buffalo came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Buffalo, New York, and it awarded 55 ’s environmental design degrees in 2020-2021.
University at Buffalo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” list. It costs about $17,022 for environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University at Buffalo.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, 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 full report on Environmental Design & Architecture at University at Buffalo
Utah State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Logan, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s environmental design degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USU, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Utah State University is $9,821 for Environmental Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full USU Environmental Design & Architecture Report
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 39 ’s environmental design degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at BGSU, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is $14,822 for environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Environmental Design & Architecture at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Auburn University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Auburn, Alabama is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s environmental design degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.
Auburn also made our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Auburn University is $19,064 for Environmental Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Environmental Design & Architecture at Auburn
University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 22 ’s environmental design degrees in 2020-2021.
UNM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UNM is $14,530 for environmental design students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Environmental Design & Architecture at UNM
Rutgers University - New Brunswick came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Environmental Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. New Brunswick, New Jersey is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s environmental design degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rutgers New Brunswick, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Environmental Design & Architecture Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,182 for Environmental Design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Rutgers New Brunswick.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Environmental Design & Architecture at Rutgers New Brunswick
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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
- *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 Stan9999.
