Unity Environmental University
New Gloucester, Maine · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 14/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Unity Environmental University earns a Below Benchmark ROI score of 14. The profile is severely weak across most metrics: earnings premium is just 3.7% (subscore 10), payback period stretches to 75.9 years, debt-to-earnings hits 0.899 (subscore 8), and completion rate is 28.7% (subscore 9). Repayment rate is the lone moderate point at 74.4%. Earnings are $27,800 six years out and $37,852 by year 10. Net price is $19,104 against $12,640 nominal tuition - one of those cases where net cost exceeds tuition due to fees and indirect expenses. The published 4-year cost is $76,416. Median debt of $25,000 against modest earnings produces the long payback. Unity has shifted its model to primarily online distance learning serving working adults, which contributes to the low completion figure (online programs typically show lower IPEDS completion rates due to part-time enrollment patterns). The mission focus on environmental education is genuine and important; the financial-return math for traditional borrowers is severe.
How Unity Environmental University scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score14/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate28.7% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Unity Environmental University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $12,640/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $12,640/yr |
| Average net price | $19,104/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $76,416 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $37,852 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $27,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $265 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 28.7% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 6,483 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $12,640/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $19,104/year, or roughly $76,416 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $18,370/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $21,931/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $25,000, which works out to about $265 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($27,800) and comes to 0.90, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $18,370 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $19,288 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $20,079 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $21,408 |
| $110,001+ | $21,931 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $18,370 net annually, and the $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $19,288. Across four years that's roughly $73,000-$77,000.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $20,079, and $75,001-$110,000 pays $21,408. Total 4-year cost runs $80,000-$86,000. Aid scaling is minimal - middle-income students pay close to top-bracket rates. For environmental-science majors, career earnings are the limiting figure against that cost.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $21,931 net annually, totaling roughly $88,000 across four years.
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at Unity Environmental University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | $44,652 | - |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | $53,934 | C |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | $39,017 | D |
| Genetics | $39,302 | D |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy
Environmental Management is the strongest program with 19 graduates earning a C grade. First-year earnings of $41,685 grow to $53,934 by year four against $27,000 in debt (0.648 ratio). Career placement spans state and federal natural-resource agencies, environmental consulting firms, and nonprofit conservation organizations. Earnings remain field-constrained but more defensible than the rest of the program lineup.
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management
Wildlife Management graduates 14 students with a D grade. First-year earnings of $29,312 against $27,000 in debt produce a 0.921 ratio. By year four earnings reach $39,017. The career path concentrates in seasonal field positions with state and federal wildlife agencies, where pay scales are constrained and entry-level work is often non-permanent. The borrowing-to-earnings math is severe; students drawn to this field should pursue extensive scholarship funding.
Genetics
Genetics graduates 4 students with a D grade. First-year earnings of $30,987 against $27,250 in debt produce a 0.879 ratio. The pathway typically functions as a graduate-school feeder rather than a terminal degree; bachelor-only outcomes are weak. Small graduate counts suggest a niche program; students should layer with strong research experience and graduate-program plans to capture meaningful career value.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 76.4% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 74.4% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 74.8% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 76.2% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Unity Environmental University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Enrollment | 6,483 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 63.9% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,415 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data, and Unity does not publish standardized test medians. The school operates as a non-selective open-access institution; admission decisions rest on transcript review and program fit. SAT and ACT distributions are not available. Open admissions correlates predictably with the 28.7% completion rate, though Unity's online-pivot model also depresses traditional completion measures.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unity Environmental University (this school) | 14 | $19,104 | $37,852 |
| Bates College | 82 | $29,351 | $69,498 |
| College of the Atlantic | 25 | $25,184 | $40,264 |
| Berklee College of Music | 20 | $49,465 | $33,647 |
| Columbia College Chicago | 18 | $26,598 | $42,195 |
| Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus | 12 | $7,051 | $26,223 |
Who Thrives Here
Enrollment is large at 6,483 students. Pell rate is high at 63.9%, indicating a heavily working-class student body. Unity fits working adults seeking online environmental science, conservation, and sustainability credentials - often layering the degree onto existing careers in parks, agriculture, or environmental consulting. The traditional residential population is much smaller. Best-fit students are mid-career environmental professionals using employer tuition assistance.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Unity Environmental University scores 14/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $19,104 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $37,852 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 28.7% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.90 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $25,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $27,800 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.90. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Unity Environmental University: Common Questions
Is Unity Environmental University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Unity Environmental University scores 14/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $19,104 a year after aid against $37,852 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Unity Environmental University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $19,104 a year, or roughly $76,416 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Unity Environmental University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $37,852 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Unity Environmental University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for Unity Environmental University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Unity Environmental University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $25,000, against average earnings of $27,800 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.90. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Unity Environmental University?
The six-year graduation rate is 28.7%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
NewsletterCollege decisions are better with data.
From CampusROI, when there is something worth acting on.
Rankings & Links
Guides & Tools
Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.