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2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation

18 Ranked Colleges
1,908 Degrees Awarded
$30,000 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Natural Resources Conservation is the 49th most popular major in the country with 22,254 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 the Southwest region, there were 1,908 natural resources conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,694 and $25,889 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation” ranking looked at 18 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the natural resources conservation program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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The conservation school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation

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

Top 18 Best Natural Resources Conservation Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region

1

Out of the 18 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school awarded 316 degrees to qualified ’s conservation students in 2020-2021.

Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 5 of the 70,418 students enrolled at Texas A&M College Station were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,925. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Texas A&M College Station Veteran Student Life Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation list. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 212 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, 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 7,566 of the 74,795 students enrolled at Arizona State University - Tempe were GI Bill® students, of which 3,828 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,068. During this same period, 672 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Arizona State University - Tempe does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Arizona State University - Tempe]](/colleges/arizona-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

3

Out of the 18 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a large public school situated in Norman, Oklahoma. It awarded 108 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Oklahoma did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus, 12 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,720. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

4
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arizona. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation list. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 144 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Arizona also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, University of Arizona supports 45,601 students, and 2,131 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,478 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,880. To help with additional expenses, 31 students qualified for 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 85%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Arizona]](/colleges/university-of-arizona/student-life/veterans/)

5
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas

Out of the 18 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Texas State is located in San Marcos, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 84 ’s conservation degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 37,812 students enrolled at Texas State University, 2,559 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,197 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,635. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Texas State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Texas State]](/colleges/texas-state-university-san-marcos/student-life/veterans/)

6

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

OSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 1,038 of the 24,535 students enrolled at OSU were GI Bill® students, of which 439 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,226. In addition to receiving other benefits, 39 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. OSU offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at OSU]](/colleges/oklahoma-state-university-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)

7

The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation ranking, coming in at #7. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 77 students in 2020-2021.

UTSA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, The University of Texas at San Antonio supports 34,742 students, and 3,565 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,847 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,531. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. The University of Texas at San Antonio does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UTSA]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-san-antonio/student-life/veterans/)

8
Texas Tech crest
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation ranking, coming in at #8. Texas Tech University is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 64 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

Texas Tech also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Texas Tech University supports 40,322 students, and 1,242 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 630 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,480. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Texas Tech University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read More…

9

The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation ranking. UT Arlington is a large school located in Arlington, Texas that handed out 29 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Arlington also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 48,072 students enrolled at The University of Texas at Arlington, 2,109 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,211 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,630. 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.

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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UT Arlington]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-arlington/student-life/veterans/)

10

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation ranking. Located in Corpus Christi, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 59 diplomas to qualified ’s conservation students in 2020-2021.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 10,820 students enrolled at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, 773 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 357 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,191. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

11

With a ranking of #11, Stephen F Austin State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation list. Located in Nacogdoches, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 17 degrees to qualified ’s conservation students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying conservation list, SFASU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 12,620 students enrolled at Stephen F Austin State University, 427 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 177 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,500. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Stephen F Austin State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Full SFASU Veteran Student Life Report

12

University of Houston - Clear Lake ranked #12 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized public school awarded 31 degrees to qualified ’s conservation students in 2020-2021.

UH Clear Lake did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, University of Houston - Clear Lake supports 9,053 students, and 465 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 292 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,337. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Houston - Clear Lake offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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 UH Clear Lake Veteran Student Life Report

13
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas

University of Houston did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation ranking, coming in at #13. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.

UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 47,090 students enrolled at UH, 1,382 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 730 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,264. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Houston]](/colleges/university-of-houston/student-life/veterans/)

14
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation ranking. Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, this large public school awarded 95 degrees to qualified ’s conservation students in 2020-2021.

NAU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 1,055 of the 29,566 students enrolled at Northern Arizona University were GI Bill® students, of which 622 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,378. In addition to receiving other benefits, 56 students received scholarships through 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 NAU Veteran Student Life Report

15

Saint Edward’s University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation list. Located in Austin, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified ’s conservation students in 2020-2021.

St. Edward’s University 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, St. Edward’s University supports 3,591 students, and 170 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 141 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $28,263. On top of their other funding sources, 79 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at St. Edward’s University]](/colleges/saint-edwards-university/student-life/veterans/)

16

With a ranking of #16, University of Phoenix - Arizona did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation list. UOPX - Arizona is a large private for-profit school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 142 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UOPX - Arizona, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 89,763 students enrolled at UOPX - Arizona, 135 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 157 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,437. On top of their other funding sources, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UOPX - Arizona]](/colleges/university-of-phoenix-arizona/student-life/veterans/)

17

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #17 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s conservation degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Rio Grande Valley, 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 871 of the 32,441 students enrolled at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley were GI Bill® students, of which 302 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,560. 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.

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 UT Rio Grande Valley Veteran Student Life Report

18

Baylor University ranked #18 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation list. This large school is located in Waco, Texas, and it awarded 44 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

Baylor also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 19,297 students enrolled at Baylor University, 876 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 593 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,744. On top of their other funding sources, 263 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Baylor University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Baylor University]](/colleges/baylor-university/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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