2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Conservation Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 22,202 people earned their degree in natural resources conservation, making the major the 50th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, natural resources conservation graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,654 and had an average of $25,969 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 2,998 natural resources conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,390 and $26,723 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 115 natural resources conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,508 and $17,812 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Conservation Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 3 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 cost less that 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 natural resources conservation program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Natural Resources Conservation Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Conservation Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Conservation Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region associate degree conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

#2 in overall quality

$7,067 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lake Superior State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Sault Ste Marie, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s conservation degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

Lake Superior State University also took the #2 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lake Superior State University is $7,067 for great lakes region associate degree conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Lake Superior State University Natural Resources Conservation Report

#2

Fox Valley Technical College

Appleton, Wisconsin

#1 in overall quality

$8,385 Average Net Price

$36,992 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fox Valley Technical College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fox Valley Technical College is a public institution located in Appleton, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

FVTC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Fox Valley Technical College is $8,385 for Great Lakes Region Associate Degree Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at FVTC

#3

Vincennes University

Vincennes, Indiana

#3 in overall quality

$8,729 Average Net Price

$35,060 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vincennes University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for an Associate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Vincennes, Indiana, and it awarded 31 associates’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Vincennes University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vincennes University is $8,729 for Great Lakes Region Associate Degree Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Vincennes University Natural Resources Conservation Report

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation (Income $0-$30k)

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 Lynn Betts.

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