Oak Lawn, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering environmental science programs, with tuition ranging from $39,200 to $47,313 per year for indexed programs. Oak Lawn has a population of about 57,098. Median household income is $82,493 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 30.2% 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 Oak Lawn
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer environmental science programs near Oak Lawn, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Oak Lawn 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 Oak Lawn.
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
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
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
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
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
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois environmental science page.
Environmental Science Wages Near Oak Lawn
Oak Lawn 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.
Oak Lawn at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 57,098 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $82,493 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 30.2% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 103.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Oak Lawn-Area Cities With Environmental Science Programs
- Burbank, IL – 2.3 mi away (28,886 pop)
- Blue Island, IL – 5.4 mi away (23,401 pop)
- Oak Forest, IL – 7.5 mi away (27,792 pop)
- Harvey, IL – 9.0 mi away (24,947 pop)
- Cicero, IL – 9.0 mi away (82,992 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited environmental science schools are near Oak Lawn, IL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering environmental science programs near Oak Lawn. The closest is Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL (3.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Loyola University Chicago (20.4 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying environmental science roles near Oak Lawn?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying environmental science-related roles near Oak Lawn 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 Burbank instead of Oak Lawn?
Burbank, IL is 2.3 miles from Oak Lawn 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 Oak Lawn an affordable place to study environmental science?
Oak Lawn’s median household income of $82,493 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Oak Lawn 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
Other Programs Available in Oak Lawn
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Oak Lawn:
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- Machine Learning programs in Oak Lawn, IL
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- Data Analytics programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Public Health programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Human Resources programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Project Management programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Special Education programs in Oak Lawn, IL
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- Marketing programs in Oak Lawn, IL
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- Kinesiology programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Sports Management programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Elementary Education programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Biology programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Communications programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Graphic Design programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Human Services programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- MBA programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Criminal Justice programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Nursing programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Business Administration programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Computer Science programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Psychology programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Education programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Engineering programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Technology programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Liberal Arts programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Healthcare programs in Oak Lawn, IL
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- Accounting programs in Oak Lawn, IL
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- Social Work programs in Oak Lawn, IL
- Counseling programs in Oak Lawn, IL
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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