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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

52 Ranked Colleges
2,180 Degrees Awarded
$15,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 52 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in natural resources conservation. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great natural resources conservation programs and 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. 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 Getting Aid” 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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

Out of the 52 schools in the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 175 bachelors’s conservation degrees to qualified students.

UW - Madison also made our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%.

Full UW - Madison Natural Resources Conservation Report

#2

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 56 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $13,253 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Natural Resources Conservation Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 67 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid list, UIUC has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid per year to attend UIUC.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid list, UW - Green Bay has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,395 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid per year to attend UW - Green Bay.

Full University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Natural Resources Conservation Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s conservation degrees to 130 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $15,336 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Natural Resources Conservation Report

#6

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Purdue is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 31 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,986 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid per year to attend Purdue.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Purdue

#7

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - River Falls is a public institution located in River Falls, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - River Falls also took the #12 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - River Falls is $13,748 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid.

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%.

Full UW - River Falls Natural Resources Conservation Report

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a fairly large public school situated in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It awarded 24 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater also made our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $15,249 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid.

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

#9

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stout came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Stout not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout is $15,839 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UW - Stout Natural Resources Conservation Report

#10

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Ball State University is a large school located in Muncie, Indiana that handed out 26 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ball State, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ball State is $15,147 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid.

Full Ball State Natural Resources Conservation Report

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $11,285 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

University of Michigan - Dearborn landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Michigan - Dearborn is a medium-sized school located in Dearborn, Michigan that handed out 6 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,473 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid per year to attend University of Michigan - Dearborn.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Michigan - Dearborn Natural Resources Conservation Report

#13

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Northern Illinois University

#14

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 74 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid list, Michigan State has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $19,173 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, 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.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Michigan State

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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 131 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $17,616 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid.

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 low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Ohio State

#16

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 9 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Springfield is $12,477 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid.

Full UIS Natural Resources Conservation Report

With a ranking of #17, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is a public institution located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $15,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid.

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

#18

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #18, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 79 degrees to qualified bachelors’s conservation students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UWM is $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

#19

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

Lake Superior State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Lake Superior State University is a public institution located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Lake Superior State University is $12,398 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid.

Full Lake Superior State University Natural Resources Conservation Report

#20

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Oakland University is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s conservation degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $11,802 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid per year to attend Oakland University.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Oakland

#15 in overall quality

Michigan Technological University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan Tech, the school also landed the #15 spot 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 $16,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 Michigan Tech

#22

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan

Grand Valley State University 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 Getting Aid ranking. Located in Allendale, Michigan, this large public school awarded 63 degrees to qualified bachelors’s conservation students in 2019-2020.

GVSU also made our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend GVSU is $17,646 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Full GVSU Natural Resources Conservation Report

University of Michigan - Flint came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Michigan - Flint is located in Flint, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s conservation degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $12,734 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree conservation students with aid per year to attend UM Flint.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at UM Flint

#24

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. Mount Pleasant, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s conservation degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,981 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid per year to attend Central Michigan University.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Central Michigan

#25

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s conservation degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.

WMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Western Michigan University is $19,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students with aid.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at WMU

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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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