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2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

12 Ranked Colleges
631 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Natural Resources & Conservation is the 26th most popular major in the country with 30,341 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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.

This year’s “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the natural resources and conservation program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Natural Resources & Conservation Schools

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 “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 61 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k list, UChicago has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $7,934 for illinois natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.

Full UChicago Natural Resources & Conservation Report

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 100 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,351 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UIUC.

The school has an impressive 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. University of Illinois at Springfield is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 32 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

UIS also took the #10 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Springfield is $11,857 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full UIS Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 34 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,346 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Northern Illinois University

#5

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Augustana College landed the #5 spot on the 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 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k list, Augustana has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $21,453 for illinois natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Augustana College

With a ranking of #6, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 77 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k list, SIUC has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $14,985 for illinois natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at SIUC

#7

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. Galesburg, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k list, Knox has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,653 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Knox.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national 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 College Natural Resources & Conservation Report

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 18 ’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 Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $18,180 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#9

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 16 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Lake Forest also took the #8 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lake Forest College is $24,683 for illinois natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Lake Forest College

#10

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. Illinois Wesleyan University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bloomington, Illinois. It awarded 8 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

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

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 32 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also took the #11 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DePaul is $28,075 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at DePaul

#12

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Loyola University Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 95 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

Loyola Chicago also took the #5 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Chicago is $32,259 for illinois natural resources & conservation students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Loyola Chicago Natural Resources & Conservation Report

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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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