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Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

24 Colleges
$28,477 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$43,125 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Natural Resources Conservation School for You

Natural Resources Conservation is the #49 most popular major in the country with 22,254 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 24 schools in the Plains States Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for conservation students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region

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

Top 10 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools

#1

Webster University

Saint Louis, MO
$28,700 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Webster University the best value school in the Plains States Region for natural resources conservation students. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, Webster is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Webster are $28,700 a year.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at Webster University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend South Dakota State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the remote town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Dakota State are $12,809 per year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, South Dakota State also did well on our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at South Dakota State University Report

Out of the 24 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Bemidji State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of Bemidji, Bemidji State University is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bemidji State University are $9,806 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Bemidji State University is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Read More…

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Minnesota - Crookston is a great value for natural resources conservation students. UMN Crookston is a small public school located in the distant town of Crookston.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UMN Crookston are $12,514 a year. The average amount in student loans that conservation majors at UMN Crookston take out is $20,500.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UMN Crookston also did well on our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read More…

#5

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN
$18,010 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Cloud State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at St. Cloud State University are $18,010 a year. While working on their degree, conservation majors at St. Cloud State University accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Saint Cloud State University

With a ranking of #6, University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources conservation students. Located in the city of Duluth, UMN Duluth is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMN Duluth are $19,148 per year. On average, conservation graduates from UMN Duluth take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at University of Minnesota - Duluth Report

With a ranking of #7, Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources conservation students. Located in the small city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Minnesota State Mankato are $18,200 a year.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report

$21,718 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value natural resources conservation programs. Located in the city of Omaha, UNOMAHA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNOMAHA are $21,718 per year. The average amount in student loans that conservation majors at UNOMAHA take out is $25,468.

Read More…

$16,498 Average Tuition & Fees

Missouri State University - Springfield came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Missouri State are $16,498 a year.

Full Natural Resources Conservation at Missouri State University - Springfield Report

University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list. UNL is a fairly large public school located in the city of Lincoln.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNL are $26,720 per year. On average, conservation graduates from UNL take out $24,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $271, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNL also is in the top 10% of our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Best Natural Resources Conservation Colleges by State

Explore the best natural resources conservation schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 167
Minnesota 506
Kansas 123
Iowa 302
Nebraska 194
North Dakota 9
South Dakota 26

One of 5 majors within the area of study, natural resources conservation has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 24 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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