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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Ecology (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

6 Ranked Colleges
192 Degrees Awarded
$10,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Ecology is the 384th most popular major in the country with 1,130 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Plains States region, there were 198 ecology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 192 ecology graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer a degree in ecology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality ecology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the ecology program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Ecology Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 6 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Ecology (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

#1

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

WUSTL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Ecology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $6,248 for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, 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 students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Ecology at WUSTL

#2

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UMN Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 bachelors’s ecology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Ecology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $8,418 for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UMN Twin Cities Ecology Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school handed out 106 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s ecology students in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also made our “Best Ecology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $10,843 for plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.

Read more about Ecology at Iowa State University

#4

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Cloud State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Saint Cloud State University is a public institution located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree ecology students whose families make $30-$48k list, St. Cloud State University has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Ecology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St. Cloud State University is $11,274 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Ecology at St. Cloud State University

#5

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI also made our “Best Ecology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $12,495 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Northern Iowa.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Ecology at University of Northern Iowa

#6

Northern State University

Aberdeen, South Dakota
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Northern State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

NSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Ecology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $12,861 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend NSU.

Read full report on Ecology at NSU

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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.

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