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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

12 Ranked Colleges
493 Degrees Awarded
$27,920 Avg Salary
Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree in natural resources and conservation. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality natural resources and conservation programs that also have a lower cost than 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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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.

Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $7,934 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, 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 100%.

Full UChicago Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 67 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students 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 $13,351 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at UIUC

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 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 $48-$75k list, NIU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,346 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Northern Illinois University

#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 9 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $11,857 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full University of Illinois at Springfield Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#5

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#2 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 $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Augustana College landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 29 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 $48-$75k list, Augustana has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $21,453 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Full Augustana Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#9 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,985 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at SIUC

#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 $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. Knox is a small school located in Galesburg, Illinois that handed out 16 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Knox not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Knox College is $19,653 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Knox 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 $48-$75k 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.

Northeastern Illinois University also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $18,180 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Northeastern Illinois University

#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 $48-$75k list. Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k list, Lake Forest has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $24,683 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k 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
#4 in overall quality

Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is located in Bloomington, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

Illinois Wesleyan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Wesleyan University is $23,309 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 Natural Resources & Conservation at Illinois Wesleyan University

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $28,075 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend DePaul.

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%.

Full DePaul Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#12

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Loyola University 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.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $32,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 Loyola Chicago

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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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