2022 Best Value Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in Montana (With 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 Montana For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 30,341 people earned their degree in natural resources and conservation, making the major the 26th most popular in the United States. 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 Montana, there were 324 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,560 and $21,595 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Montana For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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 natural resources and conservation program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Montana For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

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

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

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in Montana (With Aid)

#1

The University of Montana - Western

Dillon, Montana

#2 in overall quality

$13,929 Average Net Price

$32,150 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Montana For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Montana - Western landed the #1 spot on the list. Dillon, Montana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Montana Western, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Montana” ranking. It costs about $13,929 for Montana Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid per year to attend Montana Western.

Full Montana Western Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#2

Montana State University

Bozeman, Montana

#1 in overall quality

$19,202 Average Net Price

$37,449 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Montana State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Montana For Those Getting Aid list. MSU Bozeman is a fairly large public school situated in Bozeman, Montana. It awarded 88 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

MSU Bozeman also took the #1 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Montana” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Montana State University is $19,202 for Montana Natural Resources & Conservation students with aid.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Montana State University

#3

The University of Montana

Missoula, Montana

#3 in overall quality

$15,246 Average Net Price

$34,290 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Montana. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Montana For Those Getting Aid list. UM is located in Missoula, Montana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 179 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

UM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Montana” list. It costs about $15,246 for montana natural resources & conservation students with aid per year to attend The University of Montana.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at The University of Montana

• Best Value Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in the Rocky Mountains Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation (With Aid)

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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