2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in the Great Lakes Region
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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 the Great Lakes region, there were 4,152 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,081 and $25,321 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,957 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 55 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in natural resources and conservation. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality natural resources and conservation programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Stevens Point is a public institution located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 272 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Stevens Point, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,465 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.
Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
Out of the 55 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #2 spot on the list. River Falls, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.
UW - River Falls did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - River Falls is $13,748 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UW - River Falls Natural Resources & Conservation Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Stout. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Stout not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stout is $15,839 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 UW - Stout
Out of the 55 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Lake Superior State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Lake Superior State University is a small public school situated in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. It awarded 27 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students list, Lake Superior State University has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $12,398 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students per year to attend Lake Superior State University.
Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Lake Superior State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.
UW - Green Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $14,395 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay.
With a ranking of #6, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students list, UW - Whitewater has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $15,249 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
Northern Illinois University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students list, NIU has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.
Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Western Michigan University is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
WMU also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #25. The yearly cost to attend Western Michigan University is $19,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.
Grand Valley State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Grand Valley State University is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 63 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.
GVSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for GVSU is $17,646 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 Grand Valley State University
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW Oshkosh is a fairly large school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that handed out 22 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students per year to attend UW Oshkosh.
Full University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Natural Resources & Conservation Report
With a ranking of #11, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,945 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
With a ranking of #12, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Purdue University Global landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Purdue University Global
University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UIS is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 9 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $12,477 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.
Eastern Michigan University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eastern Michigan is a public institution located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Eastern Michigan University is $15,924 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.
Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Eastern Michigan University
Northern Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Marquette, Michigan, this medium-sized public school handed out 79 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Northern Michigan University is $15,453 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.
Full Northern Michigan University Natural Resources & Conservation Report
With a ranking of #17, Central Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan University is $15,981 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.
Full Central Michigan Natural Resources & Conservation Report
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #18. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Bowling Green, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend BGSU is $18,394 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at BGSU
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Northeastern Illinois University
University of Toledo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Toledo, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 31 degrees to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,630 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students per year to attend University of Toledo.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Toledo
Oakland University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Oakland is $11,802 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Oakland
Cleveland State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,278 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students per year to attend Cleveland State University.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Cleveland State University
Ball State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. This large school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,147 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students per year to attend Ball State.
Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Ball State
University of Michigan - Dearborn ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Michigan - Dearborn is located in Dearborn, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Dearborn is $11,473 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Michigan - Dearborn
Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 86 students in 2019-2020.
Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,986 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Purdue University - Main Campus
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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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