2026 Best Value Natural Resources Management & Policy Schools in Illinois
[Natural Resources Management & Policy](/majors/natural-resources-conservation/natural-resource-management/natural-resources-management-and-policy/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong natural resources management & policy education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for natural resources management & policy students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Natural Resources Management & Policy Schools in Illinois
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in natural resources management & policy, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Natural Resources Management & Policy Schools
For return on investment in natural resources management & policy, no school beat Loyola University Chicago this year. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago is a large private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $53,710. Natural Resources Management & Policy graduates carry a median of $23,521 in student loans. Early-career natural resources management & policy graduates make about $58,568. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 82% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
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 · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
