2023 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
17
Ranked Colleges
2,587
Degrees Awarded
$29,700
Avg Cost*
When it comes to choosing a college, veterans 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation” 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 the Southwest region, there were 2,587 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,584 and $24,476 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in natural resources and conservation. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great natural resources and conservation programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the natural resources and conservation program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation”.
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.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region vets studying natural resources & conservation.
Top 17 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation. This large school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 387 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M College Station also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Texas A&M University - College Station supports 70,418 students, and 5 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 4 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,925. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Tempe. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation. ASU - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 221 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying natural resources & conservation list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 74,795 students enrolled at Arizona State University - Tempe, 7,566 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3,828 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,068. On top of their other funding sources, 672 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Arizona State University - Tempe Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation list. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 108 students in 2020-2021.
University of Oklahoma also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 12 of the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma were GI Bill® students, of which 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,720. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Oklahoma does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arizona. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation list. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 155 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying natural resources & conservation list, University of Arizona has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 45,601 students enrolled at University of Arizona, 2,131 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,478 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,880. On top of their other funding sources, 31 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Arizona offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Arizona]](/colleges/university-of-arizona/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation list. Texas State is a large public school situated in San Marcos, Texas. It awarded 95 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 37,812 students enrolled at Texas State, 2,559 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,197 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,635. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Texas State Veteran Student Life Report
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation ranking. Stillwater, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying natural resources & conservation list, OSU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 24,535 students enrolled at OSU, 1,038 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 439 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,226. In addition to receiving other benefits, 39 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus]](/colleges/oklahoma-state-university-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)
The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation ranking. This large school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 77 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
UTSA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 34,742 students enrolled at The University of Texas at San Antonio, 3,565 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,847 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,531. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
With a ranking of #8, Stephen F Austin State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation list. Nacogdoches, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 76 students in 2020-2021.
SFASU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 12,620 students enrolled at SFASU, 427 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 177 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,500. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
With a ranking of #9, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation list. UT Arlington is a large public school situated in Arlington, Texas. It awarded 29 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Arlington also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 48,072 students enrolled at The University of Texas at Arlington, 2,109 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,211 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,630. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. The University of Texas at Arlington does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full The University of Texas at Arlington Veteran Student Life Report
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation list. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi is located in Corpus Christi, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Texas A&M Corpus Christi supports 10,820 students, and 773 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 357 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,191. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Texas A&M Corpus Christi does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
With a ranking of #11, Texas Tech University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation list. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 91 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying natural resources & conservation list, Texas Tech has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 40,322 students enrolled at Texas Tech University, 1,242 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 630 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,480. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Full Texas Tech Veteran Student Life Report
University of Houston - Clear Lake did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation ranking, coming in at #12. UH Clear Lake is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.
UH Clear Lake not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 9,053 students enrolled at University of Houston - Clear Lake, 465 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 292 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,337. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Houston - Clear Lake offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Houston - Clear Lake]](/colleges/university-of-houston-clear-lake/student-life/veterans/)
University of Houston landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation ranking. UH is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 29 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
UH also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,382 of the 47,090 students enrolled at University of Houston were GI Bill® students, of which 730 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,264. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Houston does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
Northern Arizona University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation list. Northern Arizona University is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 255 ’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.
NAU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 1,055 of the 29,566 students enrolled at Northern Arizona University were GI Bill® students, of which 622 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,378. In addition to receiving other benefits, 56 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Northern Arizona University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #15, New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation list. NMSU Main Campus is a public institution located in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
NMSU Main Campus also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, NMSU Main Campus supports 14,227 students, and 620 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 285 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,880. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. NMSU Main Campus does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full NMSU Main Campus Veteran Student Life Report
University of Phoenix - Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation ranking, coming in at #16. UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 142 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UOPX - Arizona also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, University of Phoenix - Arizona supports 89,763 students, and 135 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 157 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,437. To help with additional expenses, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full UOPX - Arizona Veteran Student Life Report
Baylor University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation ranking. Waco, Texas 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 44 students in 2020-2021.
Baylor not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 19,297 students enrolled at Baylor, 876 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 593 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,744. In addition to receiving other benefits, 263 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full Baylor University Veteran Student Life Report
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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