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2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

12 Ranked Colleges
631 Degrees Awarded
$22,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

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 in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Natural Resources & Conservation is the 26th most popular major in the country with 30,341 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” 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.

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.

More Ways to Rank Natural Resources & Conservation Schools

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 “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” 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.

Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in Illinois (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 100 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees 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 Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $15,880 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid.

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 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at UIUC

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 32 diplomas to qualified ’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Springfield is $12,477 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at UIS

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

NIU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Northern Illinois University

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 77 degrees to qualified ’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for illinois natural resources & conservation students with aid.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at SIUC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

Northeastern Illinois University also took the #12 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for illinois natural resources & conservation students with aid.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Northeastern Illinois University

#6

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Augustana College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Augustana, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana College is $23,874 for illinois natural resources & conservation students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Augustana

#7

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Knox College is a small school located in Galesburg, Illinois that handed out 16 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Knox also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Knox College is $22,292 for illinois natural resources & conservation students with aid.

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 full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Knox

#8

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 61 degrees to qualified ’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois natural resources & conservation students with aid list, UChicago has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $27,315 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid per year to attend University of Chicago.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at UChicago

#9

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Lake Forest College is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

Lake Forest also took the #8 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,426 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid per year to attend Lake Forest.

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%.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Lake Forest College

#10

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is located in Bloomington, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Wesleyan, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Wesleyan University is $26,039 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 Illinois Wesleyan Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $30,090 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#12

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 95 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Chicago is $35,407 for Illinois Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Loyola University Chicago

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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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