2023 Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Natural Resources Conservation School for You
Out of all the majors we analyze each year, natural resources conservation was ranked #49 in the country. In fact 22,254 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 47 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for conservation students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools
Our analysis found Purdue University Global to be the best value school for natural resources conservation students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the city of Indianapolis, Purdue University Global is a public college with a very large student population.
Purdue University Global undergraduate students pay an average of $14,436 in tuition and fees each year.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Youngstown State University is a great value for natural resources conservation students. Youngstown State University is a large public school located in the small city of Youngstown.
Youngstown State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,732 in tuition and fees each year.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is a great value for natural resources conservation students. Located in the medium-sized city of Green Bay, UW - Green Bay is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Green Bay are $16,091 per year. The average amount in student loans that conservation majors at UW - Green Bay take out is $22,833.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the distant town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 a year. While working on their degree, conservation majors at UW - Whitewater accumulate an average of around $23,963 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - Whitewater also did well on our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - River Falls is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of River Falls.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - River Falls are $15,661 per year. Conservation majors at UW - River Falls take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - River Falls also did well on our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of Wisconsin - Stout came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the town of Menomonie, UW - Stout is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Stout are $17,820 per year. After completing their degree, conservation graduates from UW - Stout carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
UW - Stout excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NIU are $14,738 a year. After completing their degree, conservation graduates from NIU carry an average student debtload of $22,500.
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Vincennes University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the remote town of Vincennes, Vincennes University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Vincennes University undergraduate students pay an average of $15,253 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, conservation graduates from Vincennes University carry an average student debtload of $12,000.
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Central Michigan University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value natural resources conservation programs. Located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public college with a large student population.
Central Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $13,094 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that conservation majors at Central Michigan take out is $28,119. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $151.
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With a ranking of #10, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources conservation students. Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, UIS is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UIS are $18,857 a year.
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Request InformationBest Natural Resources Conservation Colleges by State
Explore the best natural resources conservation schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 742 |
| Ohio | 653 |
| Illinois | 488 |
| Indiana | 364 |
| Wisconsin | 564 |
More Natural Resources Conservation Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Majors Related to Conservation
Natural Resources Conservation is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Conservation
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Natural Resource Management | 2,933 |
| Wildlife Management | 2,449 |
| Forestry | 2,233 |
| Fisheries Sciences | 483 |
| Natural Resources Conservation (Other) | 151 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Lynn Betts.
More about our data sources and methodologies.