2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Washington
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Natural Resources & Conservation School for You
With 835 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, natural resources and conservation is the #19 most popular major in Washington.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Washington ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in Washington to see which programs offered the best value experiences for natural resources and 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.
Top 10 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools
Our analysis found Skagit Valley College to be the best value school for natural resources and conservation students who want to pursue a degree in Washington. Skagit Valley College is a small public school located in the small city of Mount Vernon.
Skagit Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,431 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent programs at Eastern Washington University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best natural resources and conservation schools in Washington. EWU is a large public school located in the fringe town of Cheney.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at EWU are $7,922 a year.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Western Washington University is a great value for natural resources and conservation students. Located in the small city of Bellingham, WWU is a public school with a large student population.
WWU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,703 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, natural resources and conservation graduates from WWU take out $21,187 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $354, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Washington State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Washington list. Located in the distant town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Wazzu undergraduate students pay an average of $12,417 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Wazzu also is in the top 20% of our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Washington ranking.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Washington - Tacoma Campus. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Washington list. Located in the city of Tacoma, UW Tacoma is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
UW Tacoma undergraduate students pay an average of $12,196 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, natural resources and conservation graduates from UW Tacoma take out $18,613 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $257.
UW Tacoma did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Washington list.
Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Washington - Tacoma Campus Report
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University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for natural resources and conservation students. It came in at #6 on the list. UW Seattle is a fairly large public school located in the city of Seattle.
UW Seattle undergraduate students pay an average of $12,076 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from UW Seattle carry an average student debtload of $18,613. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $257.
UW Seattle also took the #2 spot in our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Washington rankings.
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University of Washington - Bothell Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for natural resources and conservation students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the suburb of Bothell, UW Bothell is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UW Bothell are $11,950 a year. After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from UW Bothell carry an average student debtload of $18,613. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $257.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UW Bothell is ranked #3 for overall quality for natural resources and conservation in Washington.
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Central Washington University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value natural resources and conservation programs. CWU is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Ellensburg.
CWU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,685 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, natural resources and conservation majors at CWU accumulate an average of around $25,500 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #9, Gonzaga University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources and conservation students. Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Spokane.
Gonzaga undergraduate students pay an average of $48,470 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from Gonzaga carry an average student debtload of $24,374.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Gonzaga is ranked #4 for overall quality for natural resources and conservation in Washington.
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With a ranking of #10, Seattle University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources and conservation students. Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Seattle.
Seattle U undergraduate students pay an average of $49,335 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, natural resources and conservation majors at Seattle U accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Seattle U also is in the top 20% of our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Washington ranking.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Seattle University
Request InformationBest Value Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 3,928 |
| Oregon | 1,001 |
| Hawaii | 129 |
| Nevada | 107 |
| Alaska | 68 |
More Natural Resources & Conservation Rankings in Washington
Natural Resources & Conservation Related Majors for Natural Resources & Conservation
Natural Resources & Conservation Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Natural Resources Conservation | 22,254 |
| Natural Resource Management | 2,933 |
| Wildlife Management | 2,449 |
| Forestry | 2,233 |
| Fisheries Sciences | 483 |
| Natural Resources Conservation (Other) | 151 |
Majors Similar to Natural Resources & Conservation
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer & Information Sciences | 254,454 |
| Engineering | 198,468 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 177,778 |
| Engineering Technologies | 85,188 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 52,396 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 11 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.