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2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

12 Ranked Colleges
516 Degrees Awarded
$15,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Natural Resources Conservation is the 50th most popular major in the country with 22,202 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 Illinois, there were 516 natural resources conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,150 and $23,920 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 12 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the natural resources conservation program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 in Illinois 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 in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $2,712 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Chicago.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at UChicago

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 100 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois conservation students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIUC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $5,477 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at UIUC

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois conservation students whose families make $0-$30k list, NIU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $15,281 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Northern Illinois University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Springfield is $9,771 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UIS Natural Resources Conservation Report

#5

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Augustana College landed the #5 spot on the list. Augustana is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Augustana, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $20,355 for illinois conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Augustana Natural Resources Conservation Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 25 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois conservation students whose families make $0-$30k list, SIUC has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $13,658 for illinois conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at SIUC

#7

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Galesburg, Illinois, and it awarded 16 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Knox also took the #6 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Knox is $16,828 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 about Natural Resources Conservation at Knox College

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 18 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois conservation students whose families make $0-$30k list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $14,816 for illinois conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Northeastern Illinois University

#9

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lake Forest College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 16 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lake Forest, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,192 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lake Forest.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Lake Forest

#10

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Illinois Wesleyan University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bloomington, Illinois. It awarded 8 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Wesleyan also made our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Wesleyan University is $18,570 for illinois conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, 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 87%.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Illinois Wesleyan

#11

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 70 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $29,440 for illinois conservation students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Loyola University Chicago.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.

Full Loyola University Chicago Natural Resources Conservation Report

#12

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. DePaul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also took the #10 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $26,173 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at DePaul

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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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