Best Environmental Policy Schools Near Austin, TX (2026)

Updated September 7, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Austin, Texas has 1 accredited school offering environmental policy programs. Austin has a population of about 967,862. Median household income is $91,461 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 58.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area, the top-earning environmental policy-related role is Natural Sciences Managers at a median $131,900 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Environmental Policy Schools to Austin

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer environmental policy programs near Austin, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Austin 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:

  • 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 Austin. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Texas A&M University-College Station

College Station, TX 87.2 miles from Austin
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
81.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,097
Avg net price $21,315/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 233

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, TX 167.8 miles from Austin
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,424
Avg net price $36,660/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 122

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Angelo State University

San Angelo, TX 178.9 miles from Austin
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,116
Avg net price $15,091/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Kingsville, TX 192.1 miles from Austin
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
51.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,450
Avg net price $12,090/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 70

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX 331.2 miles from Austin
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,454
Avg net price $19,070/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 168

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Sul Ross State University

Alpine, TX 351.7 miles from Austin
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
36.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,871
Avg net price $13,286/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 52%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Texas schools on the Texas environmental policy page.

Environmental Policy Wages Near Austin

Austin is part of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area (BLS area code 12420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health $93,070 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $94,873
Compliance Officers $70,720 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $72,090
Management Analysts $106,600 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $108,665
Economists $87,350 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $89,042
Political Scientists $114,050 TX statewide $116,259
Conservation Scientists $68,620 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $69,949
Natural Sciences Managers $131,900 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $134,455
Environmental Engineers $99,000 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $100,917

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.

Austin at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 967,862 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $91,461 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 58.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 98.1 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Austin-Area Cities With Environmental Policy Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited environmental policy schools are near Austin, TX?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering environmental policy programs near Austin. The closest is Texas A&M University-College Station in College Station, TX (87.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Texas A&M University-College Station (87.2 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying environmental policy roles near Austin?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying environmental policy-related roles near Austin are: Natural Sciences Managers ($131,900), Political Scientists ($114,050), Management Analysts ($106,600). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Pflugerville instead of Austin?

Pflugerville, TX is 13.7 miles from Austin 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 Austin an affordable place to study environmental policy?

Austin’s median household income of $91,461 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Austin while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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.

Learn More About Environmental Policy Programs

Other Programs Available in Austin

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Austin:

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.

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