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Best Environmental Policy Schools Near Charlottesville, VA
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Charlottesville, Virginia has 1 accredited school offering environmental policy programs. Charlottesville has a population of about 45,863. Median household income is $69,829 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 60.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Virginia, the top-earning environmental policy-related role is Economists at a median $137,590 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Environmental Policy Schools to Charlottesville
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer environmental policy programs near Charlottesville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville.
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.
Sort:
#1
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
📍
Blacksburg, VA
•
119.9 miles from Charlottesville
Charlottesville is part of the Charlottesville, VA metro area (BLS area code 16820). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
$77,850
Charlottesville, VA
$78,557
Compliance Officers
$78,540
Charlottesville, VA
$79,253
Management Analysts
$87,100
Charlottesville, VA
$87,891
Economists
$137,590
VA statewide
$138,840
Political Scientists
N/A
VA statewide
–
Conservation Scientists
$77,380
VA statewide
$78,083
Natural Sciences Managers
$124,800
Charlottesville, VA
$125,933
Environmental Engineers
$104,940
VA statewide
$105,893
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.
Charlottesville at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
45,863
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$69,829
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
60.6%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
99.1 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Charlottesville-Area Cities With Environmental Policy Programs
How many accredited environmental policy schools are near Charlottesville, VA?
Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering environmental policy programs near Charlottesville. The closest is American Public University System in Charles Town, WV (92.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is American Public University System (92.8 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying environmental policy roles near Charlottesville?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying environmental policy-related roles near Charlottesville are: Economists ($137,590), Natural Sciences Managers ($124,800), Environmental Engineers ($104,940). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Waynesboro instead of Charlottesville?
Waynesboro, VA is 22.7 miles from Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville an affordable place to study environmental policy?
Charlottesville’s median household income of $69,829 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Charlottesville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Virginia 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.
