2023 Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
18
Ranked Colleges
1,462
Degrees Awarded
$35,168
Avg Salary
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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.
Across the Southwest region, there were 1,908 natural resources conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,694 and $25,889 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,462 natural resources conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,112 and $26,227 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 18 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in natural resources conservation. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent natural resources conservation programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the natural resources conservation program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Natural Resources Conservation Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree vets studying conservation.
Top 18 Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
Out of the 18 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #1 spot on the list. Texas A&M College Station is located in College Station, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 291 bachelors’s conservation degrees to qualified students.
Texas A&M College Station also took the #1 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Texas A&M University - College Station supports 70,418 students, and 5 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 4 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,925. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Texas A&M University - College Station does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Texas A&M University - College Station Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 18 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Oklahoma is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s conservation degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Oklahoma, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 12 of the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus were GI Bill® students, of which 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,720. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Oklahoma]](/colleges/university-of-oklahoma-norman-campus/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Tempe. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s conservation degrees to 115 students in 2020-2021.
ASU - Tempe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Among the 74,795 students enrolled at ASU - Tempe, 7,566 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3,828 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,068. On top of their other funding sources, 672 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. ASU - Tempe offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at ASU - Tempe]](/colleges/arizona-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arizona. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s list. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 102 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.According to our most recent data, University of Arizona supports 45,601 students, and 2,131 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,478 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,880. During this same period, 31 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s list. Texas State is a public institution located in San Marcos, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.According to our most recent data, Texas State University supports 37,812 students, and 2,559 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,197 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,635. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Texas State]](/colleges/texas-state-university-san-marcos/student-life/veterans/)
The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s ranking. UTSA is a large school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 71 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree vets studying conservation list, UTSA has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Of the 34,742 students enrolled at UTSA, 3,565 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,847 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,531. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s ranking. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It awarded 15 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree vets studying conservation list, OSU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 24,535 students enrolled at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus, 1,038 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 439 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,226. In addition to receiving other benefits, 39 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
With a ranking of #8, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s list. Texas A&M Corpus Christi is a public institution located in Corpus Christi, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 773 of the 10,820 students enrolled at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi were GI Bill® students, of which 357 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,191. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Texas Tech University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s list. Texas Tech University is a large public school situated in Lubbock, Texas. It awarded 64 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 40,322 students enrolled at Texas Tech University, 1,242 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 630 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,480. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
With a ranking of #10, Stephen F Austin State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Nacogdoches, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s conservation students in 2020-2021.
SFASU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 12,620 students enrolled at Stephen F Austin State University, 427 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 177 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,500. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at SFASU]](/colleges/stephen-f-austin-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. The University of Texas at Arlington is located in Arlington, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s conservation degrees to qualified students.
UT Arlington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.According to our most recent data, The University of Texas at Arlington supports 48,072 students, and 2,109 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,211 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,630. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. The University of Texas at Arlington offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UT Arlington]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-arlington/student-life/veterans/)
University of Houston - Clear Lake ranked #12 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s list. UH Clear Lake is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree vets studying conservation list, UH Clear Lake has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 9,053 students enrolled at UH Clear Lake, 465 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 292 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,337. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Houston - Clear Lake Veteran Student Life Report
Northern Arizona University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s ranking. Flagstaff, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s conservation degrees to 85 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NAU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 29,566 students enrolled at Northern Arizona University, 1,055 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 622 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,378. In addition to receiving other benefits, 56 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at NAU]](/colleges/northern-arizona-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #14, University of Houston did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 47,090 students enrolled at UH, 1,382 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 730 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,264. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Houston Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #15, Saint Edward’s University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Austin, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 13 degrees to qualified bachelors’s conservation students in 2020-2021.
St. Edward’s University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 170 of the 3,591 students enrolled at Saint Edward’s University were GI Bill® students, of which 141 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $28,263. During this same period, 79 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Saint Edward’s University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
University of Phoenix - Arizona ranked #16 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s list. University of Phoenix - Arizona is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 142 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UOPX - Arizona, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, UOPX - Arizona supports 89,763 students, and 135 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 157 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,437. During this same period, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Baylor University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #17. Baylor is a large school located in Waco, Texas that handed out 40 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
Baylor not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 19,297 students enrolled at Baylor, 876 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 593 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,744. During this same period, 263 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Baylor University]](/colleges/baylor-university/student-life/veterans/)
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Conservation for a Bachelor’s ranking. UT Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Rio Grande Valley, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Of the 32,441 students enrolled at UT Rio Grande Valley, 871 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 302 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,560. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UT Rio Grande Valley]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-pan-american/student-life/veterans/)
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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