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2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

52 Ranked Colleges
2,180 Degrees Awarded
$27,509 Avg Salary
Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 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 bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,180 natural resources conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 52 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in natural resources conservation. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality natural resources conservation programs that also have a lower cost than 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Natural Resources Conservation Schools

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region

#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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $7,934 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. 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 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.

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 Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k list, U-M has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $10,028 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at U-M

Out of the 52 schools in the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #3 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 175 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,227 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW - Madison.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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 95%.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#4

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Out of the 52 schools in the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 31 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue also took the #17 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $9,654 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Purdue University - Main Campus Natural Resources Conservation Report

Out of the 52 schools in the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 67 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #8 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,351 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Ohio State is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 131 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also made our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $13,982 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Ohio State Natural Resources Conservation Report

#7

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 56 bachelors’s conservation degrees to qualified students.

IU Bloomington also took the #7 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $12,060 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend IU Bloomington.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Natural Resources Conservation Report

#15 in overall quality

Michigan Technological University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Michigan Technological University is a public institution located in Houghton, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k list, Michigan Tech has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan Technological University is $13,720 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Michigan Tech

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is a public institution located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Green Bay, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,584 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at UW - Green Bay

#10

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - River Falls came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 34 degrees to qualified bachelors’s conservation students in 2019-2020.

UW - River Falls did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,474 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW - River Falls.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 University of Wisconsin - River Falls

#11

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

With a ranking of #11, Oakland University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Rochester Hills, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s conservation degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,387 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Oakland University.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Oakland University

#12

Denison University

Granville, Ohio

With a ranking of #12, Denison University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Granville, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Denison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Denison University is $22,652 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 more about Natural Resources Conservation at Denison

#13

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stout did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. University of Wisconsin - Stout is a public institution located in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Stout also took the #10 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,235 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW - Stout.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UW - Stout Natural Resources Conservation Report

#14

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $18,346 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend NIU.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at NIU

University of Michigan - Dearborn landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Dearborn, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s conservation degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UM Dearborn is $10,553 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 more about Natural Resources Conservation at UM Dearborn

#16

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a fairly large school located in Whitewater, Wisconsin that handed out 24 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k list, UW - Whitewater has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,941 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

#17

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s conservation students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,857 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UIS.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at University of Illinois at Springfield

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 17 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,314 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis.

Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Natural Resources Conservation Report

#19

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan

Grand Valley State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #19. GVSU is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 63 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k list, GVSU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Grand Valley State University is $15,775 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at GVSU

#20

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Augustana is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 bachelors’s conservation degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Augustana, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $21,453 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Augustana College Natural Resources Conservation Report

#21

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

With a ranking of #21, Ball State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Ball State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,185 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ball State University.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Ball State

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $15,236 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Natural Resources Conservation Report

#23

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

With a ranking of #23, Lake Superior State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, this small public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s conservation students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lake Superior State University is $13,073 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Lake Superior State University Natural Resources Conservation Report

#24

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. Knox is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s conservation degrees to qualified students.

Knox also made our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend Knox is $19,653 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. 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.

Full Knox Natural Resources Conservation Report

#25

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school situated in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It awarded 41 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Central Michigan University is $14,591 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Central Michigan University Natural Resources Conservation Report

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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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