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2026 Best Value Environmental Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

[Environmental Design](/majors/architecture-and-related-services/environmental-design/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong environmental design education at a price that pays off.

College Factual analyzed 4 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value environmental design schools.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Environmental Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

2026 Best Value Environmental Design Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in environmental design, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Environmental Design Schools

1

Utah State University
Logan, UT

$8,560 In-State Tuition & Fees

$16,191 Avg Student Debt

$54,022 Median Earnings (10yr)

Leading the list is Utah State University, our #1 best value for environmental design in the Rocky Mountains Region. Located in the city of Logan, Utah State University is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $8,560, with out-of-state students paying around $24,993. Students borrow a median of $16,191 to complete the environmental design program here. Soon after graduation, environmental design degree recipients from Utah State University generally make around $50,348. That is a strong return on a $16,191 median debt. Roughly 92% of applicants are accepted.

2

University Of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO

$15,214 In-State Tuition & Fees

$23,641 Avg Student Debt

$69,738 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in environmental design will find it at University Of Colorado Boulder, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Boulder, University Of Colorado Boulder is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $15,214 in tuition and fees, compared with $42,970 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for environmental design graduates is $23,641. Early-career environmental design graduates make about $42,401. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 78% of applicants are accepted.

View All Environmental Design Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.

• 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.