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2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

12 Ranked Colleges
493 Degrees Awarded
$22,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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. 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 Getting Aid” 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

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 Getting Aid”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in Illinois (With Aid)

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full UIUC Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#2

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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #2 spot on the list. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 34 bachelors’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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at NIU

#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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 9 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid list, UIS has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $12,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Springfield.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Illinois at Springfield

#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 Getting Aid. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 63 degrees to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $16,945 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#12 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,843 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Northeastern Illinois University

#6

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Augustana College landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Augustana is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 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 with aid list, Augustana has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana College is $23,874 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Augustana Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#7

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Knox College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Knox is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

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. It costs about $22,292 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid per year to attend Knox College.

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%. 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.

Full Knox College Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#8

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

University of Chicago landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 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 University of Chicago is $27,315 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid.

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

#9

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Lake Forest College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Lake Forest is a small school located in Lake Forest, Illinois that handed out 16 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Lake Forest also took the #8 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,426 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid per year to attend Lake Forest College.

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 full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Lake Forest

#10

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Bloomington, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Wesleyan also took the #4 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,039 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid per year to attend Illinois Wesleyan University.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 Illinois Wesleyan University

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

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

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $30,090 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at DePaul

#12

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Loyola University Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 95 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Chicago is $35,407 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid.

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