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2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k

20 Ranked Colleges
1,205 Degrees Awarded
$19,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor's in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 the Rocky Mountains region, there were 2,082 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,144 and $25,086 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,205 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,111 and $23,874 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, we looked at 20 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 20 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation (Income $75-$110k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

#19 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Idaho. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k. Brigham Young University - Idaho is a large school located in Rexburg, Idaho that handed out 28 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k list, BYU - I has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend BYU - I is $9,850 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full BYU - I Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#2

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Utah landed the #2 spot on the list. U of U is a large public school situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. It awarded 102 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

U of U also took the #3 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U of U is $17,718 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Utah Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#3

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wyoming. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. UW is a fairly large school located in Laramie, Wyoming that handed out 78 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UW is $14,958 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 University of Wyoming

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Utah State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k. USU is a public institution located in Logan, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 81 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $16,895 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Utah State University.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at USU

#14 in overall quality

Out of the 20 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Montana - Western landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Dillon, Montana, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Montana Western not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Montana - Western is $15,719 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at The University of Montana - Western

#6

Western Colorado University

Gunnison, Colorado
#10 in overall quality

Western Colorado University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This small school is located in Gunnison, Colorado, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Western not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Western is $19,264 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Western Colorado University

#7

University of Idaho

Moscow, Idaho
#13 in overall quality

University of Idaho ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Moscow, Idaho, this fairly large public school awarded 133 degrees to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

U of I not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend U of I is $17,509 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Idaho

#11 in overall quality

Metropolitan State University of Denver ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Denver, Colorado, this fairly large public school handed out 47 degrees to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k list, MSU Denver has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Metropolitan State University of Denver is $18,397 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at MSU Denver

#9

The University of Montana

Missoula, Montana
#17 in overall quality

The University of Montana landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Missoula, Montana, and it awarded 126 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UM, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $18,209 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend The University of Montana.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at UM

#10

Colorado College

Colorado Springs, Colorado
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Colorado College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Colorado College is a small school located in Colorado Springs, Colorado that handed out 32 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k list, Colorado College has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $24,330 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Colorado College.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 Colorado College

#11

Boise State University

Boise, Idaho
#15 in overall quality

Boise State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Boise, Idaho, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Boise State also took the #15 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Boise State University is $19,550 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Boise State University

#12

Montana State University

Bozeman, Montana
#6 in overall quality

Montana State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #12. MSU Bozeman is a fairly large school located in Bozeman, Montana that handed out 48 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

MSU Bozeman not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend MSU Bozeman is $21,587 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at MSU Bozeman

#8 in overall quality

Colorado State University - Fort Collins came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Fort Collins, Colorado is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 70 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Colorado State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $24,440 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Colorado State University - Fort Collins.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, 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 Colorado State

#14

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado
#16 in overall quality

Fort Lewis College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Fort Lewis College is a small school located in Durango, Colorado that handed out 35 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k list, FLC has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Fort Lewis College is $19,449 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at FLC

#15

University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, Colorado
#2 in overall quality

University of Colorado Boulder landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in Boulder, Colorado, and it awarded 185 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

CU - Boulder did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend CU - Boulder is $25,863 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full CU - Boulder Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#16

Colorado Mesa University

Grand Junction, Colorado
#18 in overall quality

Colorado Mesa University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Grand Junction, Colorado, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Colorado Mesa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $18,596 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Colorado Mesa.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Colorado Mesa University

#17

The College of Idaho

Caldwell, Idaho
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, The College of Idaho did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. This small school is located in Caldwell, Idaho, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

The College of Idaho also took the #9 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The College of Idaho is $22,470 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 The College of Idaho

#18

Westminster College Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, Westminster College Utah did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Westminster College Salt Lake is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Westminster College Salt Lake, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $20,454 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Westminster College Utah.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 Westminster College Utah Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#19

University of Denver

Denver, Colorado
#7 in overall quality

University of Denver did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #19. This fairly large school is located in Denver, Colorado, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

DU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Denver is $31,512 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low 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%.

Full DU Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#20

Naropa University

Boulder, Colorado
#20 in overall quality

Naropa University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #20. This small school is located in Boulder, Colorado, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Naropa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Naropa 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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