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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

12 Ranked Colleges
493 Degrees Awarded
$15,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 30,341 people earned their degree in natural resources and conservation, making the major the 26th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, natural resources and conservation graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,196 and had an average of $25,077 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 631 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,920 and $23,093 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 493 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in natural resources and conservation. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent natural resources and conservation programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the natural resources and conservation program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The natural resources & 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 Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 21 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $2,712 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at UChicago

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 67 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 34 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k list, NIU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,281 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Full Northern Illinois University Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 63 students in 2019-2020.

SIUC also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $13,658 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at SIUC

#11 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #5 spot on the list. UIS is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Springfield is $9,771 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UIS Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#6

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Augustana College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Augustana College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana also took the #2 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $20,355 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Augustana College

#7

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Knox College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Knox is a private not-for-profit institution located in Galesburg, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Knox did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Knox is $16,828 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 Knox College Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#12 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 18 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northeastern Illinois University, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $14,816 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#9

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Lake Forest College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lake Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k list, Lake Forest has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lake Forest College is $18,192 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Full Lake Forest College Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#10

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Bloomington, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Wesleyan also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Wesleyan University is $18,570 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois Wesleyan University Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#11

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 95 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also took the #5 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Chicago is $29,440 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Loyola Chicago

#12

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

DePaul University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $26,173 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at DePaul University

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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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