by our College Data Analytics Team
[Forestry](/majors/natural-resources-conservation/forestry/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for forestry students.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the forestry degrees they offer, see the list below.
Auburn University earned the #1 spot for value among forestry schools in Alabama. Auburn University is a very large public school located in the city of Auburn. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $12,890, compared with $34,922 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for forestry graduates is $20,500. Early-career forestry graduates make about $51,421. That is a strong return on a $20,500 median debt. Auburn University admits about 46% of applicants.
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.