Bachelor's · Orono, Maine

Is Natural Resources Conservation and Research at University of Maine worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 7.1 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $43,689; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $56,416; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $22,245; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $73k (likely $73k – $94k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $17k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in ME; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 7.1 years (likely 5.2–10.6); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$103k (likely −$188k – −$30k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $113k (likely −$48k – $286k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 57%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26

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🌱 Getting ready in high school

Students heading toward animals, plants & the planet majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.

AP classes

AP Biology
AP Environmental Science
AP Chemistry
AP Statistics

IB Higher Level

Biology HL
Environmental Systems and Societies

Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.