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2023 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges for Veterans in Virginia

5 Ranked Colleges
873 Degrees Awarded
$37,700 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Natural Resources & Conservation

With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Natural Resources & Conservation” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 30,503 people earned their degree in natural resources and conservation, making the major the 25th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, natural resources and conservation graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $35,158 and had an average of $23,267 in loans still to pay off.

Across Virginia, there were 873 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,358 and $23,435 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Natural Resources & Conservation” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in natural resources and conservation. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great natural resources and conservation programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the natural resources and conservation program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Natural Resources & Conservation Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Natural Resources & Conservation” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Natural Resources & Conservation

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia vets studying natural resources & conservation.

Top 5 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges for Veterans in Virginia

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Natural Resources & Conservation. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school awarded 401 diplomas to qualified ’s natural resources and conservation students in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 37,024 students enrolled at Virginia Tech, 119 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 108 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,314. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 93%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Virginia Tech]](/colleges/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

2

Out of the 5 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Natural Resources & Conservation that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 75 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

VCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 29,070 students enrolled at VCU, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,085. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. VCU offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 VCU Veteran Student Life Report

3
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Natural Resources & Conservation list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 141 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 25,628 students enrolled at University of Virginia - Main Campus, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

4
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Natural Resources & Conservation list. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 52 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

GMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 2,334 of the 38,541 students enrolled at George Mason University were GI Bill® students, of which 1,583 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,710. To help with additional expenses, 42 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read More…

5
Roanoke crest
Roanoke College
Salem, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Roanoke College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Natural Resources & Conservation list. Located in Salem, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 degrees to qualified ’s natural resources and conservation students in 2020-2021.

Roanoke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Roanoke supports 1,920 students, and 68 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 50 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,471. To help with additional expenses, 26 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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