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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation

1,015 Ranked Colleges
22,254 Degrees Awarded
$34,000 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Conservation Major

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

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Conservation Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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.

1

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

2

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

3

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

4
American Military University crest
American Public University System
Charles Town, West Virginia

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

5

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

6
SNHU crest
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, New Hampshire

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

7

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

8

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

8
UVM crest
University of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont

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

10
WWU crest
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington

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

11

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

12

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

13

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

14
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

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

15
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

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

16

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

17
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

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

18
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

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

19

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

20

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

21
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

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

22

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

22
UMass Amherst crest
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts

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

24
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

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

25

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

25
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, 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

25

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:

28
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia
29
30
Oregon State crest
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon
31
Appalachian State crest
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina
32
33
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
34
35
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California
36
37
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
38
UCONN crest
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut
39
39
39
42
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
42
UO crest
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
44
UM crest
The University of Montana
Missoula, Montana
45
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona
46
Northeastern crest
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
46
48
Stockton State crest
Stockton University
Galloway, New Jersey
49
50
50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Most Well Attended Conservation Major

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
52 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
52 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
52 Columbia Southern University Orange Beach, AL
55 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
55 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
57 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
58 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
59 University of Idaho Moscow, ID
60 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
60 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
62 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
63 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
64 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
64 Portland State University Portland, OR
66 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
Rank College Location
66 University of Delaware Newark, DE
66 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
69 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
69 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
69 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
72 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
72 American University Washington, DC
74 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
74 Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL
74 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
74 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
78 Western Colorado University Gunnison, CO
78 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
80 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, WI
80 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
82 University of North Carolina at Asheville Asheville, NC
83 Eckerd College Saint Petersburg, FL
83 Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, TX
83 Clark University Worcester, MA
86 The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN
86 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
88 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
88 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
88 University of Maine Orono, ME
91 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
Rank College Location
92 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
92 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
94 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
94 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
96 California State University - Channel Islands Camarillo, CA
97 Salisbury University Salisbury, MD
97 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
97 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
97 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
97 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
97 Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI
103 Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH
103 Towson University Towson, MD
105 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
105 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
105 Antioch University - New England Keene, NH
108 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
108 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
110 Tufts University Medford, MA
110 Allegheny College Meadville, PA
110 Boise State University Boise, ID
113 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
113 St Mary’s College of Maryland St. Mary’s City, MD
115 Colby College Waterville, ME
115 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA
Rank College Location
115 Middlebury College Middlebury, VT
118 George Washington University Washington, DC
118 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
118 The University of Arizona Global Campus San Diego, CA
121 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
121 Baylor University Waco, TX
121 Montana State University Bozeman, MT
121 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
125 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
126 Dartmouth College Hanover, NH
126 Flagler College - St Augustine Saint Augustine, FL
126 University of Chicago Chicago, IL
126 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
126 Southern Oregon University Ashland, OR
131 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
131 Colgate University Hamilton, NY
131 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
134 Westfield State University Westfield, MA
134 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
134 Utah State University Logan, UT
134 Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA
138 Emory University Atlanta, GA
138 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
140 Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ
140 Auburn University Auburn, AL
Rank College Location
142 Stanford University Stanford, CA
142 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO
142 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
142 Webster University Saint Louis, MO
142 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
142 Clemson University Clemson, SC
142 Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA
149 Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO
149 The College at Brockport Brockport, NY
149 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
149 Unity College Unity, ME
149 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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