People's quality of life and opportunities for activity are influenced by their surrounding environments. A substantial body of literature on the positive effects of nature and greenery has emerged during the last 50 years. Additional research has focused on other types of environmental qualities. While some Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) are surrounded by parklands, others are located in more urban settings. This study focuses on the importance of environmental qualities, including greenery, for student success. After controlling for a number of factors established as important in previous studies, our results indicate that the presence of greenery in the immediate surroundings of HEIs is positively correlated with graduation rates. There is also no indication that other environmental characteristics have any correlation.