2026 Best Value Water, Wetlands, & Marine Resources Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region
[Water, Wetlands, & Marine Resources Management](/majors/natural-resources-conservation/natural-resource-management/water-wetlands-and-marine-resources-management/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
College Factual analyzed 6 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value water, wetlands, & marine resources management schools.
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2026 Best Value Water, Wetlands, & Marine Resources Management Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in water, wetlands, & marine resources management, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Water, Wetlands, & Marine Resources Management Schools
For return on investment in water, wetlands, & marine resources management, no school beat University Of Wisconsin Stevens Point this year. Located in the town of Stevens Point, University Of Wisconsin Stevens Point is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,228, while out-of-state students pay about $18,248. Students borrow a median of $22,132 to complete the water, wetlands, & marine resources management program here. Soon after graduation, water, wetlands, & marine resources management degree recipients from University Of Wisconsin Stevens Point generally make around $40,553. Set against $22,132 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 92%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee earned it the #2 place for water, wetlands, & marine resources management. Set in the city of Milwaukee, University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,398, while out-of-state students pay about $22,398. Water, Wetlands, & Marine Resources Management graduates carry a median of $26,657 in student loans. Early-career water, wetlands, & marine resources management graduates make about $46,524. That is a strong return on a $26,657 median debt. University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee admits about 91% of applicants.
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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 · 6 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.
