Western Colorado University Environmental Science and Conservation (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Natural Resources Conservation and Research
- Public university
- Gunnison, CO
- About 24 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Western Colorado University environmental science and conservation graduates earn less than graduates of most environmental science and conservation programs nationally, $26,123 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,612 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,078. Several Colorado programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Colorado and national columns are the medians across all environmental science and conservation bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Western Colorado University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $5,334 less than the Colorado median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado environmental science and conservation program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Colorado medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
What graduates earn over time
Pay rises about 78% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $229 a month, or 10.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
19 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $28,647.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
55% of graduates (18 of 33) were working in Colorado one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Colorado outside metro areas are about 2% below the national average, so a $26,123 salary here buys what about $26,791 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to environmental science and conservation, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Compliance Officers
$82,450Median pay in Colorado. 7,740 people work in this job in Colorado. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 32,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
$85,990Median pay in Colorado. 2,580 people work in this job in Colorado. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health
$60,930Median pay in Colorado. 740 people work in this job in Colorado. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 5,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.
Forest and Conservation Technicians
$57,550Median pay in Colorado. 1,040 people work in this job in Colorado. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.
About Western Colorado University
Environmental Science and Conservation ranks 8th of 10 bachelor's programs at Western Colorado University by first-year earnings. The top three are Economics ($53,403), Accounting ($47,204), and Sociology ($43,178).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $26,123 one year after graduating and $46,470 five years after. The median across environmental science and conservation bachelor's programs in Colorado is $30,747.
The median federal loan balance is $21,612, which ranks 5th lowest of 7 environmental science and conservation bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $229 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 83% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. Compare the cost with other Colorado programs before deciding.
Most do. 55% (18 of 33) were working in Colorado one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Colorado comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the environmental science and conservation program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024