2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
The Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 28 schools in the Plains States 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.
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. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Webster University the best value school in the Plains States Region for natural resources and conservation students. Webster is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Webster are $28,700 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the town of Brookings.
South Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,809 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, natural resources and conservation majors at South Dakota State accumulate an average of around $24,874 in student debt.
South Dakota State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Bemidji State University is a great value for natural resources and conservation students. Bemidji State University is a small public school located in the remote town of Bemidji.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bemidji State University are $9,806 per year. The average amount in student loans that natural resources and conservation majors at Bemidji State University take out is $19,500.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Bemidji State University also did well on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Valley City State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list. Valley City State University is a small public school located in the town of Valley City.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Valley City State University are $12,969 a year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Valley City State University is ranked #4 for overall quality for natural resources and conservation in the Plains States Region .
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Out of the 28 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Dakota State University are $14,876 per year. The average amount in student loans that natural resources and conservation majors at North Dakota State University take out is $27,000.
North Dakota State University also claimed a spot on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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University of Minnesota - Crookston came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the distant town of Crookston, UMN Crookston is a public school with a small student population.
UMN Crookston undergraduate students pay an average of $12,514 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that natural resources and 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.
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Saint Cloud State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list. St. Cloud State University is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Saint Cloud.
St. Cloud State University undergraduate students pay an average of $18,010 in tuition and fees each year. Natural Resources & Conservation majors at St. Cloud State University take out an average of $31,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value natural resources and conservation programs. UMN Duluth is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Duluth.
UMN Duluth undergraduate students pay an average of $19,148 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from UMN Duluth carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
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With a ranking of #9, Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources and conservation students. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the city of Mankato.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $18,200 per year.
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University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value natural resources and conservation programs. UNOMAHA is a large public school located in the large city of Omaha.
UNOMAHA undergraduate students pay an average of $21,718 in tuition and fees each year. On average, natural resources and conservation graduates from UNOMAHA take out $25,468 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Request InformationBest Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges by State
Explore the best natural resources and conservation colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 145 |
| Minnesota | 626 |
| Iowa | 354 |
| South Dakota | 83 |
| Missouri | 257 |
| Nebraska | 196 |
| North Dakota | 66 |
More Natural Resources & Conservation Rankings in the Plains States Region
Majors Related to 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 25 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.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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