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Best Environmental Policy Schools Near Urbana, IL (2026)
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Urbana, Illinois is home to about 38,447 residents. Median household income is $45,854 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 58.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Illinois, the top-earning environmental policy-related role is Environmental Engineers at a median $107,990 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Environmental Policy Schools to Urbana
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer environmental policy programs near Urbana, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Urbana city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Urbana.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Urbana is part of the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro area (BLS area code 16580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
$65,360
Champaign-Urbana, IL
$70,507
Compliance Officers
$72,560
Champaign-Urbana, IL
$78,274
Management Analysts
$98,050
Champaign-Urbana, IL
$105,771
Economists
N/A
IL statewide
–
Political Scientists
$103,780
IL statewide
$111,953
Conservation Scientists
$64,470
Champaign-Urbana, IL
$69,547
Natural Sciences Managers
$107,630
Champaign-Urbana, IL
$116,106
Environmental Engineers
$107,990
IL statewide
$116,494
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Urbana at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
38,447
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$45,854
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
58.4%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
92.7 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Urbana-Area Cities With Environmental Policy Programs
What are the highest-paying environmental policy roles near Urbana?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying environmental policy-related roles near Urbana are: Environmental Engineers ($107,990), Natural Sciences Managers ($107,630), Political Scientists ($103,780). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Champaign instead of Urbana?
Champaign, IL is 4.0 miles from Urbana and has its own set of local environmental policy programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Urbana an affordable place to study environmental policy?
Urbana’s median household income of $45,854 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Urbana while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Data verified: September 7, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
