2023 Most Popular Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation
1,015
Ranked Colleges
22,254
Degrees Awarded
$34,000
Avg Cost*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Conservation Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 22,254 people earned their degree in natural resources conservation, making the major the 49th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, natural resources conservation graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $35,963 and had an average of $23,098 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Conservation Major” ranking looked at 1,015 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in natural resources conservation. To top this list, a school must have a successful natural resources conservation program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Most Well Attended Conservation Major” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Most Well Attended Conservation Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for conservation students.
Top 27 Most Popular Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation
Out of the 1,015 schools in the Most Well Attended Conservation Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #1 spot on the list. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 604 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major list. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 470 ’s conservation degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 University of California - Santa Barbara Natural Resources Conservation Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major list. Texas A&M College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 316 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad 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 Texas A&M College Station Natural Resources Conservation Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Public University System. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major list. American Military University is a large school located in Charles Town, West Virginia that handed out 334 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at American Public University System
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major list. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 310 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at U-M
Southern New Hampshire University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Conservation Major list. Manchester, New Hampshire is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 303 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at SNHU
University of Colorado Boulder did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Boulder, Colorado, this large public school handed out 268 diplomas to qualified ’s conservation students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full CU - Boulder Natural Resources Conservation Report
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 269 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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 93%.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at UC Davis
University of Vermont landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking. University of Vermont is a public institution located in Burlington, Vermont. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 267 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at University of Vermont
Western Washington University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking. Western Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Bellingham, Washington. It awarded 254 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at WWU
With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 444 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UW - Madison Natural Resources Conservation Report
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 220 ’s conservation degrees to qualified students.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at UC Santa Cruz
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking, coming in at #13. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 213 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at UW Seattle
North Carolina State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking. North Carolina State University is a large public school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 208 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full NC State Natural Resources Conservation Report
Harvard University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 243 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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 Harvard University
With a ranking of #16, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 181 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 93%.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Humboldt State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking. Humboldt State University is located in Arcata, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 177 ’s conservation degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Humboldt State University
Duke University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking, coming in at #18. Duke is a fairly large school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 174 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Duke University
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking, coming in at #19. Arizona State University - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 212 ’s conservation degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at ASU - Tempe
With a ranking of #20, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 158 ’s conservation degrees to qualified students.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Natural Resources Conservation Report
Florida State University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Conservation Major list. Florida State University is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 155 ’s conservation degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Florida State University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking, coming in at #22. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 154 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
With a ranking of #22, University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major list. Amherst, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 154 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 University of Massachusetts Amherst
Yale University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking. Yale is a fairly large school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 150 ’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Yale University
University of Phoenix - Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking, coming in at #25. UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 142 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at University of Phoenix - Arizona
University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major ranking, coming in at #25. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s conservation degrees to 144 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at University of Arizona
With a ranking of #25, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Conservation Major list. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school handed out 142 degrees to qualified ’s conservation students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of South Florida - Main Campus Natural Resources Conservation Report
Rest of the Best 49 in Most Well Attended Conservation Major
Not only did these schools make the top 49 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking: