College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Natural Resources Conservation Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

8 Ranked Colleges
488 Degrees Awarded
$29,700 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 22,254 people earned their degree in natural resources conservation, making the major the 49th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, natural resources conservation graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $35,963 and had an average of $23,098 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 488 natural resources conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,536 and $21,104 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered a degree in natural resources conservation. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent natural resources conservation programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the natural resources conservation program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Natural Resources Conservation Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Conservation Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation”.

Top 8 Best Natural Resources Conservation Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

1

Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 87 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying conservation list, UIUC has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 10 of the 52,679 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Veteran Student Life Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 16 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 11,366 students enrolled at SIUC were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Veteran Student Life Report

3
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 66 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

Loyola Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Loyola Chicago supports 16,893 students, and 261 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 165 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,263. In addition to receiving other benefits, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Loyola Chicago offers credit for military training for eligible students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Loyola Chicago]](/colleges/loyola-university-chicago/student-life/veterans/)

4
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 29 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

DePaul also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul University, 528 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 367 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,957. To help with additional expenses, 101 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul University Veteran Student Life Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation list. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 27 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying conservation list, UIS has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 4,146 students enrolled at UIS, 214 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 106 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,253. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIS does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Illinois at Springfield]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-springfield/student-life/veterans/)

6
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified ’s conservation students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying conservation list, Augustana has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 28 of the 2,389 students enrolled at Augustana were GI Bill® students, of which 14 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,990. During this same period, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Augustana Veteran Student Life Report

7

Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 31 degrees to qualified ’s conservation students in 2020-2021.

NIU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 16,769 students enrolled at NIU, 480 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 207 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,822. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Full Northern Illinois University Veteran Student Life Report

8
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, Lake Forest College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Conservation list. Lake Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.

Lake Forest not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 1,583 students enrolled at Lake Forest College, 11 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 7 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,079. On top of their other funding sources, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Lake Forest College]](/colleges/lake-forest-college/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options