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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*
$33,825 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Natural Resources & Conservation School for You

Natural Resources & Conservation is the #27 most popular major in Illinois with 596 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in Illinois 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.

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 natural resources and 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 2023 rankings named University of Illinois at Springfield the best value school in Illinois for natural resources and conservation students. Located in the 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.

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$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from NIU carry an average student debtload of $22,500.

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$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 fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIUC are $17,634 per year. While working on their degree, natural resources and conservation majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $15,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $258.

UIUC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois list.

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$15,240 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public school with a large student population.

SIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,240 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that natural resources and conservation majors at SIUC take out is $22,250.

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

$47,808 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Loyola University Chicago landed the # 5 spot on the list. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Loyola Chicago undergraduate students pay an average of $47,808 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Natural Resources & Conservation majors at Loyola Chicago take out an average of $24,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $561.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Loyola Chicago also did well on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at Loyola University Chicago Report

#6

Augustana College

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

Augustana College 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. Located in the small city of Rock Island, Augustana is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Augustana undergraduate students pay an average of $46,189 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Natural Resources & Conservation majors at Augustana take out an average of $26,276 in student loans while working on their egree.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Augustana also did well on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#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 and conservation students. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

DePaul undergraduate students pay an average of $42,012 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from DePaul carry an average student debtload of $19,250.

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#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 and 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.

Lake Forest undergraduate students pay an average of $51,002 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Lake Forest is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois list.

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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
Indiana 447
Michigan 964
Ohio 878
Wisconsin 936

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

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 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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