Chicago Heights, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering environmental science programs, with tuition ranging from $39,200 to $47,313 per year for indexed programs. Chicago Heights has a population of about 26,938. Median household income is $57,479 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning environmental science-related role is Environmental Engineer at a median $110,700 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Environmental Science Schools to Chicago Heights
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer environmental science programs near Chicago Heights, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Chicago Heights 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 Chicago Heights.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$55,700
Avg net price
$19,125/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 80%
- Programs offered: 45
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
71%
Graduation rate
65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$66,099
Avg net price
$17,028/yr
TuitionIn‑state$39,200
Out‑of‑state$39,200
Key stats- Retention rate: 81%
- Programs offered: 85
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,751
Avg net price
$30,902/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 166
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$53,213
Avg net price
$20,729/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 69%
- Programs offered: 85
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$52,234
Avg net price
$14,109/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 57%
- Programs offered: 56
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,530
Avg net price
$36,079/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 168
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,756
Avg net price
$26,975/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 93%
- Programs offered: 49
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$89,363
Avg net price
$29,167/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 167
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois environmental science page.
Environmental Science Wages Near Chicago Heights
Chicago Heights is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). 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 Scientist and Specialist | $85,310 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $82,346 |
| Conservation Scientist | $62,710 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $60,531 |
| Environmental Engineer | $110,700 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $106,853 |
| Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist | $79,780 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $77,008 |
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.
Chicago Heights at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 26,938 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $57,479 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 20.2% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 103.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Chicago Heights-Area Cities With Environmental Science Programs
- Park Forest, IL – 3.3 mi away (21,785 pop)
- Lansing, IL – 5.9 mi away (28,086 pop)
- South Holland, IL – 6.3 mi away (21,817 pop)
- Harvey, IL – 6.8 mi away (24,947 pop)
- Munster, IN – 7.2 mi away (22,825 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited environmental science schools are near Chicago Heights, IL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering environmental science programs near Chicago Heights. The closest is Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL (13.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Valparaiso University (30.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying environmental science roles near Chicago Heights?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying environmental science-related roles near Chicago Heights are: Environmental Engineer ($110,700), Environmental Scientist and Specialist ($85,310), Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist ($79,780). 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 Park Forest instead of Chicago Heights?
Park Forest, IL is 3.3 miles from Chicago Heights and has its own set of local environmental science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Chicago Heights an affordable place to study environmental science?
Chicago Heights’s median household income of $57,479 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Chicago Heights 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.
Learn More About Environmental Science Programs
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Data verified: September 1, 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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