2023 Best Value Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation (Income $30-$48k) in North Carolina
8
Ranked Colleges
1,321
Degrees Awarded
$8,400
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 $30-$48k” 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the natural resources and conservation program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 in North Carolina For Those Making $30-$48k”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation (Income $30-$48k) in North Carolina
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $30-$48k list. Duke is a fairly large school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 195 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Duke, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Duke University is $-927 for North Carolina Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Duke
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 154 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill also took the #3 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $5,729 for north carolina natural resources & conservation students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Carolina State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $30-$48k. North Carolina State University is a large public school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 333 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
NC State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $9,448 for North Carolina Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend North Carolina State University.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full NC State Natural Resources & Conservation Report
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 $30-$48k list. Appalachian State is a public institution located in Boone, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 123 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Appalachian State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $9,940 for North Carolina Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Appalachian State University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Appalachian State
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Haywood Community College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $30-$48k. 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 made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Haywood Community College is $6,602 for North Carolina Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Haywood Community College
University of North Carolina at Asheville ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $30-$48k list. UNCA is a small public school situated in Asheville, North Carolina. It awarded 60 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
UNCA also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $10,130 for North Carolina Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UNCA.
Full UNCA Natural Resources & Conservation Report
With a ranking of #7, University of North Carolina at Wilmington did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $30-$48k list. UNCW is a fairly large school located in Wilmington, North Carolina that handed out 120 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
UNCW also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington is $14,643 for north carolina natural resources & conservation students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Western Carolina University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. This fairly large school is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, and it awarded 41 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
WCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend WCU is $11,625 for North Carolina Natural Resources & Conservation students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Western Carolina University
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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
- *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.