by our College Data Analytics Team
[Forestry](/majors/natural-resources-conservation/forestry/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a forestry degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the early-career earnings of their forestry graduates.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose forestry graduates go on to earn the most.
For graduate earnings in forestry, no school beat University Of Washington Seattle Campus this year. Located in the city of Seattle, University Of Washington Seattle Campus is a public institution. Forestry graduates of University Of Washington Seattle Campus earn a median of about $75,465 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #2 makes California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo one of the highest-paying schools for forestry. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo is a public institution. Students who complete the forestry program here go on to a median salary of roughly $73,077.
Strong graduate earnings at Humboldt State University earned it the #3 place for forestry. Located in the town of Arcata, Humboldt State University is a public institution. Forestry graduates of Humboldt State University earn a median of about $63,673 a year early in their careers.
Oregon State University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in forestry, landing the #4 spot this year. Located in the city of Corvallis, Oregon State University is a public institution. Students who complete the forestry program here go on to a median salary of roughly $76,258.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries forestry graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 4 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.