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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

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

28 Colleges
$24,670 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$40,184 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.

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.

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 and conservation students. Webster is a medium-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.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at Webster University Report

The excellent programs at South Dakota State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best natural resources and conservation schools in the Plains States Region . South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the town of Brookings.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Dakota State are $12,809 a 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.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, South Dakota State also is in the top 20% of our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bemidji State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list. 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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#4

Valley City State University

Valley City, ND

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.

Valley City State University undergraduate students pay an average of $12,969 in tuition and fees each year.

Valley City State University did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list.

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The excellent programs at North Dakota State University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best natural resources and conservation schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Dakota State University are $14,876 a year. The average amount in student loans that natural resources and conservation majors at North Dakota State University take out is $27,000.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, North Dakota State University 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 full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at North Dakota State University - Main Campus

With a ranking of #6, University of Minnesota - Crookston did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources and conservation students. Located in the distant town of Crookston, UMN Crookston is a public college 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.

In addition to its great value ranking, UMN Crookston is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Minnesota - Crookston

#7

Saint Cloud State University

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

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 city of Saint Cloud.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at St. Cloud State University are $18,010 per 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.

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

University of Minnesota - Duluth ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list. UMN Duluth is a medium-sized public school located in the 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.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Minnesota - Duluth Report

Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the small city of Mankato.

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

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$21,718 Average Tuition & Fees

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 fairly large public school located in the city of Omaha.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNOMAHA are $21,718 per 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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Best 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

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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