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Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

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2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

11 Colleges
$29,070 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$35,077 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Natural Resources & Conservation School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, natural resources and conservation was ranked #25 in the country. In fact 30,503 degrees and certificates were handed out 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. 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 the Rocky Mountains Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 11 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for natural resources and 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 the Rocky Mountains Region

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

Top 10 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools

$4,416 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Brigham Young University - Idaho the best value school in the Rocky Mountains Region for natural resources and conservation students. BYU - I is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the town of Rexburg.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BYU - I are $4,416 a year.

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#2

University of Wyoming

Laramie, WY

Out of the 11 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wyoming landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the town of Laramie, UW is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW are $16,957 per year. After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from UW carry an average student debtload of $18,250.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Utah State University is a great value for natural resources and conservation students. USU is a very large public school located in the small city of Logan.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at USU are $23,435 per year. While working on their degree, natural resources and conservation majors at USU accumulate an average of around $21,250 in student debt.

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#4

University of Denver

Denver, CO

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Denver. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in the city of Denver, DU is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

DU undergraduate students pay an average of $54,819 in tuition and fees each year.

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$22,446 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Western Colorado University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best natural resources and conservation schools in the Rocky Mountains Region . Located in the town of Gunnison, Western is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Western are $22,446 per year. The average amount in student loans that natural resources and conservation majors at Western take out is $23,081.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Western Colorado University

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Colorado State University - Fort Collins is a great value for natural resources and conservation students. Colorado State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Fort Collins.

Colorado State undergraduate students pay an average of $31,470 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from Colorado State carry an average student debtload of $22,904. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $376, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Colorado State not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at Colorado State University - Fort Collins Report

#7

Fort Lewis College

Durango, CO
$19,660 Average Tuition & Fees

Fort Lewis College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. FLC is a small public school located in the town of Durango.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FLC are $19,660 per year. Natural Resources & Conservation majors at FLC take out an average of $14,951 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$27,502 Average Tuition & Fees

Metropolitan State University of Denver came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Located in the large city of Denver, MSU Denver is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MSU Denver are $27,502 per year. Natural Resources & Conservation majors at MSU Denver take out an average of $26,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at Metropolitan State University of Denver Report

#9

University of Idaho

Moscow, ID
$27,576 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Idaho did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for natural resources and conservation students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the town of Moscow, U of I is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at U of I are $27,576 a year. On average, natural resources and conservation graduates from U of I take out $20,856 in student loans while working on their degree.

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University of Colorado Boulder landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value natural resources and conservation programs. Located in the midsize city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public college with a very large student population.

CU - Boulder undergraduate students pay an average of $38,358 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that natural resources and conservation majors at CU - Boulder take out is $19,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $486.

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

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Colorado Boulder Report

Best Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges by State

Explore the best natural resources and conservation colleges for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains region.

State Degrees Awarded
Colorado 999
Utah 261
Montana 363
Idaho 289
Wyoming 105

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 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.

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