2022 Best Value Colleges for Forestry (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 2,292 people earned their degree in forestry, making the major the 187th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, forestry graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $38,496 and had an average of $20,610 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 153 forestry graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,800 and $20,192 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in forestry. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great forestry programs and 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 forestry program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Forestry Schools

The forestry 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 Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region forestry students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Forestry (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas

#1 in overall quality

$11,454 Average Net Price

$53,657 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s forestry degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region forestry students whose families make $0-$30k list, Texas A&M College Station has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - College Station is $11,454 for Southwest Region Forestry students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Forestry at Texas A&M College Station

#2

Stephen F Austin State University

Nacogdoches, Texas

#2 in overall quality

$8,650 Average Net Price

$37,097 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stephen F Austin State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Stephen F Austin State University is a public institution located in Nacogdoches, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFASU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,650 for southwest region forestry students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stephen F Austin State University.

Full Stephen F Austin State University Forestry Report

#3

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

#3 in overall quality

$9,251 Average Net Price

$40,689 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Arizona University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, this large public school awarded 82 degrees to qualified ’s forestry students in 2019-2020.

NAU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $9,251 for southwest region forestry students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northern Arizona University.

Full Northern Arizona University Forestry Report

#4

New Mexico Highlands University

Las Vegas, New Mexico

#4 in overall quality

$8,345 Average Net Price

$40,417 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New Mexico Highlands University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and it awarded 9 ’s forestry degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at New Mexico Highlands University, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Forestry Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend New Mexico Highlands University is $8,345 for southwest region forestry students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Forestry at New Mexico Highlands University

• Best Value Colleges for Forestry (Income $0-$30k)

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 Bureau of Land Management.

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