2022 Best Value Colleges for Forestry (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Forestry is the 187th most popular major in the country with 2,292 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, forestry graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $38,496 and had an average of $20,610 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 153 forestry graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,800 and $20,192 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in forestry. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality forestry programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the forestry program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region forestry students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Forestry (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas

#1 in overall quality

$18,810 Average Net Price

$53,657 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school handed out 23 diplomas to qualified ’s forestry students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M College Station, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $18,810 for southwest region forestry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Texas A&M College Station.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full Texas A&M College Station Forestry Report

#2

Stephen F Austin State University

Nacogdoches, Texas

#2 in overall quality

$13,644 Average Net Price

$37,097 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stephen F Austin State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Nacogdoches, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 31 degrees to qualified ’s forestry students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region forestry students whose families make $48-$75k list, SFASU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $13,644 for southwest region forestry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Stephen F Austin State University.

Read full report on Forestry at SFASU

#3

New Mexico Highlands University

Las Vegas, New Mexico

#4 in overall quality

$10,625 Average Net Price

$40,417 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend New Mexico Highlands University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k. New Mexico Highlands University is located in Las Vegas, New Mexico and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 ’s forestry degrees to qualified students.

New Mexico Highlands University also took the #4 spot in our “Best Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend New Mexico Highlands University is $10,625 for southwest region forestry students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full New Mexico Highlands University Forestry Report

#4

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

#3 in overall quality

$12,675 Average Net Price

$40,689 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Arizona University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. NAU is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 82 ’s forestry degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NAU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,675 for Southwest Region Forestry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend NAU.

Read full report on Forestry at NAU

• Best Value Colleges for Forestry (Income $48-$75k)

Notes and References

References

• 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 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Bureau of Land Management.

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