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2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

12 Ranked Colleges
516 Degrees Awarded
$16,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

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 Illinois, there were 516 natural resources conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,150 and $23,920 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college 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 $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois conservation students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 38 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $2,800 for illinois conservation students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Chicago.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at University of Chicago

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 100 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $8,464 for illinois conservation students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at UIUC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. 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 UIS is $8,323 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full University of Illinois at Springfield Natural Resources Conservation Report

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 ’s conservation degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $15,861 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Northern Illinois University Natural Resources Conservation Report

#5

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Knox College landed the #5 spot on the list. Knox is a private not-for-profit institution located in Galesburg, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Knox not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $19,186 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Knox College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Knox

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 25 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #11 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $14,306 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at SIUC

#7

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 29 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $16,249 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Augustana.

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 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 Augustana Natural Resources Conservation Report

With a ranking of #8, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois conservation students whose families make $30-$48k list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $15,513 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Natural Resources Conservation Report

#9

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and 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 $19,152 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Lake Forest.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Lake Forest College

#10

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Bloomington, Illinois, and 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 is $19,857 for illinois conservation students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full Illinois Wesleyan Natural Resources Conservation Report

#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 $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 70 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also took the #5 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $29,788 for Illinois Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Loyola Chicago

#12

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 32 degrees to qualified ’s conservation students 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 $25,842 for illinois conservation students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 full report on Natural Resources Conservation at DePaul University

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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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