College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k

8 Ranked Colleges
1,321 Degrees Awarded
$6,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k” 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 North Carolina, there were 1,321 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,893 and $21,587 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 8 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Natural Resources & Conservation Schools

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

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 in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.

Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 195 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

Duke also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Duke University is $371 for north carolina natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Duke

2

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 154 degrees to qualified ’s natural resources and conservation students in 2020-2021.

UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $3,753 for North Carolina Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

3
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Carolina State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k list. NC State is a public institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 333 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

NC State also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $7,283 for north carolina natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NC State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad 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 more about Natural Resources & Conservation at NC State

4
Appalachian State crest
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Appalachian State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Boone, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 123 degrees to qualified ’s natural resources and conservation students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our north carolina natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k list, Appalachian State has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $7,354 for north carolina natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Appalachian State.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Appalachian State

5
Haywood Community College crest
Haywood Community College
Clyde, North Carolina

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Haywood Community College landed the #5 spot on the list. Clyde, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 45 students in 2020-2021.

Haywood Community College also took the #7 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Haywood Community College is $5,822 for North Carolina Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Haywood Community College

6

With a ranking of #6, University of North Carolina at Asheville did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of North Carolina at Asheville is a small public school situated in Asheville, North Carolina. It awarded 60 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

UNCA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Asheville is $8,677 for North Carolina Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of North Carolina at Asheville

7

University of North Carolina at Wilmington ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of North Carolina at Wilmington is a public institution located in Wilmington, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 120 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNCW, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNCW is $11,710 for north carolina natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 University of North Carolina at Wilmington

8
WCU crest
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, North Carolina

Western Carolina University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, and it awarded 41 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

WCU also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $9,305 for north carolina natural resources & conservation students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Western Carolina University.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Western Carolina University

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options