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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in Illinois

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

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Natural Resources & Conservation Schools

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” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

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

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

#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 list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UIUC Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#2

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 #2 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.

Full Northern Illinois University Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#11 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois 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 public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s 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 University of Illinois at Springfield is $12,477 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at UIS

#12 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s 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. It costs about $15,843 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 63 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students list, SIUC has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#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 ranking. 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 $23,874 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.

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%. 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 Augustana College

#7

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

DePaul University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. DePaul is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 30 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend DePaul University is $30,090 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.

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

#8

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Knox College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Galesburg, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students 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 $22,292 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.

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. 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 Knox

#9

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 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 estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.

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

#10

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Lake Forest College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Lake Forest, 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 16 students 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 per year to attend Lake Forest College.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.

Full Lake Forest Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#11

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Bloomington, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Wesleyan not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Wesleyan University is $26,039 for illinois bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full Illinois Wesleyan University Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#12

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

University of Chicago ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $27,315 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.

The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Full UChicago 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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