by our College Data Analytics Team
[Conservation Biology](/majors/biological-biomedical-sciences/ecology-evolution-systematics-population-biology/conservation-biology/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong conservation biology education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 1 schools to find the best return on investment for conservation biology students.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the conservation biology degrees they offer, see the list below.
Loyola University Chicago tops our 2026 list of the best value conservation biology schools in Illinois. Set in the city of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $53,710. Conservation Biology graduates carry a median of $23,521 in student loans. Early-career conservation biology graduates make about $58,568. That is a strong return on a $23,521 median debt. Roughly 82% of applicants are accepted.
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.