2026 Best Ecology Schools in the The Plains States Region
Ecology programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for ecology students pursuing a degree.
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Best Schools for Ecology in the The Plains States Region
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the ecology degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Ecology
Our analysis ranked University Of Minnesota Twin Cities the best school in the country for a degree in ecology. Located in the city of Minneapolis, University Of Minnesota Twin Cities is a very large public university. The six-year graduation rate is 85%. About 39 ecology degrees were awarded at University Of Minnesota Twin Cities in the most recent year. Ecology graduates of University Of Minnesota Twin Cities earn a median of $49,410 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $24,000.
Get the full ecology details for University Of Minnesota Twin Cities
A rank of #2 makes University Of Northern Iowa one of the top schools for ecology. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, University Of Northern Iowa is a large public university. University Of Northern Iowa graduates 68% of students within six years. About 15 ecology degrees were awarded at University Of Northern Iowa in the most recent year. Graduates of the ecology program make about $46,054 in their early career. University Of Northern Iowa graduates carry a median of $22,635 in student loans.
Get the full ecology details for University Of Northern Iowa
A rank of #3 makes Iowa State University one of the top schools for ecology. Iowa State University is a very large public school located in the city of Ames. The six-year graduation rate is 75%. About 92 ecology degrees were awarded at Iowa State University in the most recent year. Students who receive their ecology degree from Iowa State University earn around $29,842 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $24,347.
Get the full ecology details for Iowa State University
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 7 schools evaluated.
- 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.
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