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Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

8 Colleges
$30,835 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$33,536 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Natural Resources Conservation School for You

With 488 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, natural resources conservation is the #65 most popular major in Illinois.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 8 schools in Illinois 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.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois

Check out the conservation programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Best Illinois Schools for Affordable Quality in Natural Resources Conservation

$12,053 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of Illinois at Springfield to be the best value school for natural resources conservation students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, UIS is a public school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIS are $12,053 per year.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at University of Illinois at Springfield Report

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a large student population.

NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Conservation majors at NIU take out an average of $22,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois list. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIUC are $17,634 a year. The average amount in student loans that conservation majors at UIUC take out is $15,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $258, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

UIUC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois list.

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$15,240 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUC are $15,240 a year.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#5

Augustana College

Rock Island, IL
$46,189 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Augustana College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best natural resources conservation schools in Illinois. Located in the city of Rock Island, Augustana is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Augustana are $46,189 per year. Conservation majors at Augustana take out an average of $26,276 in student loans while working on their egree.

Augustana excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois list.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at Augustana College Report

$47,808 Average Tuition & Fees

Loyola University Chicago came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois ranking. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Loyola Chicago undergraduate students pay an average of $47,808 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, conservation majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $24,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $561, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Loyola Chicago excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois list.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at Loyola University Chicago Report

#7

DePaul University

Chicago, IL
$42,012 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, DePaul University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources conservation students. DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at DePaul are $42,012 per year. On average, conservation graduates from DePaul take out $19,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at DePaul University Report

#8

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, IL
$51,002 Average Tuition & Fees

Lake Forest College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for natural resources conservation students. It came in at #8 on the list. Lake Forest is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Lake Forest.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lake Forest are $51,002 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Lake Forest also is in the top 10% of our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois ranking.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at Lake Forest College Report

Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 742
Ohio 653
Indiana 364
Wisconsin 564

Natural Resources Conservation is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.

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 8 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.

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