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2022 Best Value Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation in Illinois (With Aid)

12 Ranked Colleges
516 Degrees Awarded
$22,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” 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 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 Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The conservation school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation in Illinois (With Aid)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 100 ’s conservation degrees to qualified students.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for Illinois Conservation students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Full UIUC Natural Resources Conservation Report

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 32 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS also made our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $12,477 for illinois conservation students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Springfield.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at UIS

#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 Getting Aid list. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 34 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for Illinois Conservation students with aid.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Northern Illinois University

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 18 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University also took the #12 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for Illinois Conservation students with aid.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Northeastern Illinois University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 25 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,945 for Illinois Conservation students with aid.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#6

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Augustana College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 29 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana also took the #2 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $23,874 for Illinois Conservation students with aid 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 student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Augustana College

#7

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Galesburg, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Knox, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $22,292 for Illinois Conservation students with aid 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 College

#8

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 38 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $27,315 for illinois conservation students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at University of Chicago

#9

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 16 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois conservation students with aid list, Lake Forest has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,426 for illinois conservation students with aid per year to attend Lake Forest College.

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 came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Bloomington, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 degrees to qualified ’s conservation students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Wesleyan, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,039 for Illinois Conservation students with aid per year to attend Illinois Wesleyan University.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%. 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

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 32 ’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend DePaul is $30,090 for Illinois Conservation students with aid.

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 full report on Natural Resources Conservation at DePaul

#12

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 70 degrees to qualified ’s conservation students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois conservation students with aid list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $35,407 for illinois conservation students with aid per year to attend Loyola University Chicago.

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