2027 Best Value Natural Resources Management & Policy Schools in Colorado

[Natural Resources Management & Policy](/majors/natural-resources-conservation/natural-resource-management/natural-resources-management-and-policy/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for natural resources management & policy students.
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2027 Best Value Natural Resources Management & Policy Schools in Colorado
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the natural resources management & policy degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Natural Resources Management & Policy Schools
For return on investment in natural resources management & policy, no school beat Colorado Mountain College this year. Set in the town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado Mountain College is a moderately-sized public institution. Students from in state pay about $2,616 in tuition and fees, compared with $12,840 for out-of-state students. Natural Resources Management & Policy graduates carry a median of $12,953 in student loans. Early-career natural resources management & policy graduates make about $48,694. That is a strong return on a $12,953 median debt.
Colorado State University Fort Collins came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best value natural resources management & policy schools. Located in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado State University Fort Collins is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $13,373, with out-of-state students paying around $35,061. Natural Resources Management & Policy graduates carry a median of $22,843 in student loans. Natural Resources Management & Policy graduates of Colorado State University Fort Collins earn a median of $43,262 early in their careers. Set against $22,843 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 88%.
Students looking for strong value in natural resources management & policy will find it at University Of Denver, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Denver, University Of Denver is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $61,398. Typical student debt for natural resources management & policy graduates is $22,534. Soon after graduation, natural resources management & policy degree recipients from University Of Denver generally make around $69,861. Set against $22,534 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Denver admits about 78% of applicants.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.