Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

47 Colleges
$18,201 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$33,465 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Colleges.

Top 10 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools

#1

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN
$14,436 Average Tuition & Fees

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 small city of Indianapolis, Purdue University Global is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Purdue University Global are $14,436 a year.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at Purdue University Global Report

#2

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH
$9,732 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Youngstown State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Youngstown.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Youngstown State University are $9,732 per year.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at Youngstown State University Report

The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best natural resources conservation schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the medium-sized city of Green Bay, UW - Green Bay is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Green Bay are $16,091 a year. The average amount in student loans that conservation majors at UW - Green Bay take out is $22,833.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Report

The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best natural resources conservation schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the distant town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public college with a fairly 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.

UW - Whitewater excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - River Falls is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant 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.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - River Falls also is in the top 10% of our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

Read More…

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.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Stout are $17,820 a year. After completing their degree, conservation graduates from UW - Stout carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - Stout 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.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at University of Wisconsin - Stout Report

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources conservation students. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a large student population.

NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, conservation graduates from NIU carry an average student debtload of $22,500.

Read More…

#8

Vincennes University

Vincennes, IN
$15,253 Average Tuition & Fees

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 town of Vincennes, Vincennes University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Vincennes University are $15,253 a year. After completing their degree, conservation graduates from Vincennes University carry an average student debtload of $12,000.

Read More…

#9

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI
$13,094 Average Tuition & Fees

Central Michigan University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Michigan are $13,094 a 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.

Read More…

$18,857 Average Tuition & Fees

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 midsize city of Springfield, UIS is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIS are $18,857 per year.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at University of Illinois at Springfield Report

Best Natural Resources Conservation Colleges by State

Explore the best natural resources conservation colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 742
Ohio 653
Illinois 488
Indiana 364
Wisconsin 564

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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.