[College research](/) / [Rankings](/rankings/)

# Best Forestry Programs in the United States (2026)

Updated September 30, 2026

This page ranks the 33 Forestry programs in the United States by the median earnings of Forestry graduates four years after completing. [North Carolina State University at Raleigh](/school/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh/majors/) leads the list with median earnings of $86,357 four years after completing, followed by [California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt](/school/california-state-polytechnic-university-humboldt/majors/) at $79,849 and [California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo](/school/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo/majors/) at $77,419.

Across the listed schools, median earnings range from $86,357 to $36,674, with a median of $57,678.

Public institutions dominate the list, accounting for 32 of the 33 programs. University of Florida reports the lowest average net price at $6,541, while Texas A&M University-College Station ranks 25th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

## The ranked list

Top 25 of 33 schools in list order

| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC | $86,357 | $17,303 | $6,382 | 41.7% |
|  | [North Carolina State University at Raleigh](/school/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh/majors/) ranks 1st on this list, with [median earnings of $86,357](/school/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh/outcomes/) for its Forestry graduates four years after completing. |
| 2 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt · Arcata, CA | $79,849 | $13,171 | $8,483 | 98.2% |
|  | Admitting 98% of applicants, [California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt](/school/california-state-polytechnic-university-humboldt/majors/) reports [median earnings of $79,849](/school/california-state-polytechnic-university-humboldt/outcomes/) for its Forestry graduates four years after completing. |
| 3 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $77,419 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
|  | [California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo](/school/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo/majors/) [ranks 58th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo/) among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Forestry graduates earn a median of $77,419 four years after completing. |
| 4 | University of Georgia · Athens, GA | $68,965 | $13,936 | $8,085 | 37.7% |
|  | [University of Georgia](/school/university-of-georgia/majors/) lists an [average net price of $13,936,](/school/university-of-georgia/cost/) and its Forestry graduates report median earnings of $68,965 four years after completing. |
| 5 | Louisiana Tech University · Ruston, LA | $65,941 | $11,864 | $7,676 | 86.4% |
|  | [Louisiana Tech University](/school/louisiana-tech-university/majors/) shows a [median federal debt of $22,083](/school/louisiana-tech-university/cost/) among Forestry completers who borrowed, while its graduates earn a median of $65,941 four years after completing. |
| 6 | Alabama A & M University · Normal, AL | $64,749 | $17,621 | $16,500 | 58.0% |
|  | With 8 graduates in the earnings cohort, [Alabama A & M University](/school/alabama-a-m-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $64,749](/school/alabama-a-m-university/outcomes/) for its Forestry graduates four years after completing. |
| 7 | Auburn University · Auburn, AL | $64,704 | $24,323 | $16,681 | 45.9% |
|  | An [average net price of $16,681](/school/auburn-university/cost/) for families earning under $30,000 is listed by [Auburn University](/school/auburn-university/majors/), whose Forestry graduates earn a median of $64,704 four years after completing. |
| 8 | West Virginia University · Morgantown, WV | $64,568 | $15,634 | $9,450 | 89.0% |
|  | [West Virginia University](/school/west-virginia-university/majors/) reports a [median federal debt of $20,500](/school/west-virginia-university/cost/) among Forestry completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $64,568 four years after completing. |
| 9 | University of Idaho · Moscow, ID | $64,392 | $14,831 | $11,270 | 75.5% |
|  | [University of Idaho](/school/university-of-idaho/majors/) ranks 9th on this list, reporting [median earnings of $64,392](/school/university-of-idaho/outcomes/) for its Forestry graduates four years after completing. |
| 10 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · Blacksburg, VA | $64,204 | $24,953 | $11,689 | 54.8% |
|  | [Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University](/school/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $64,204](/school/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university/outcomes/) for its Forestry graduates four years after completing, with 87 graduates in the earnings cohort. |
| 11 | Clemson University · Clemson, SC | $63,764 | $22,253 | $13,607 | 38.3% |
|  | An [average net price of $22,253](/school/clemson-university/cost/) is reported by [Clemson University](/school/clemson-university/majors/), where Forestry graduates earned a median of $63,764 four years after completing. |
| 12 | Texas A&M University-College Station · College Station, TX | $63,468 | $21,315 | $12,784 | 57.4% |
|  | [Texas A&M University-College Station](/school/texas-am-university-college-station/majors/) reports [median earnings of $63,468](/school/texas-am-university-college-station/outcomes/) for its Forestry graduates four years after completing, and a median federal debt of $17,750 among Forestry completers who borrowed. |
| 13 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins · Fort Collins, CO | $62,919 | $21,279 | $13,259 | 88.5% |
|  | [Colorado State University-Fort Collins](/school/colorado-state-university-fort-collins/majors/) reports [median earnings of $62,919](/school/colorado-state-university-fort-collins/outcomes/) for its Forestry graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $21,279. |
| 14 | The University of Montana · Missoula, MT | $60,526 | $16,784 | $13,960 | 95.9% |
|  | Graduates across all fields who borrowed at The University of Montana left with a median of $22,400 in federal loans, and the school's Forestry program posts median earnings of $60,526 four years after completing. |
| 15 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · Minneapolis, MN | $58,651 | $16,778 | $6,642 | 79.8% |
|  | [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities](/school/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities/majors/) [admits 80% of applicants](/school/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities/admissions/) and ranks 107th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. |
| 16 | Mississippi State University · Mississippi State, MS | $58,499 | $17,595 | $14,332 | 77.6% |
|  | [Mississippi State University](/school/mississippi-state-university/majors/) ranks 16th on this list, with [median earnings of $58,499](/school/mississippi-state-university/outcomes/) for its Forestry graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $17,595. |
| 17 | Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College · Tifton, GA | $57,678 | $6,842 | $4,323 | 75.7% |
|  | An average net price of $4,323 for families earning under $30,000 coincides with median earnings of $57,678 for Forestry graduates at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College four years after completing. |
| 18 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry · Syracuse, NY | $57,664 | $18,952 | $9,473 | 63.3% |
|  | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry posts a school-wide median federal debt of $11,000 across all of its borrowers who completed, and its Forestry graduates earn a median of $57,664 four years after completing. |
| 19 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville · Knoxville, TN | $57,436 | $18,976 | $10,029 | 41.6% |
|  | [The University of Tennessee-Knoxville](/school/the-university-of-tennessee-knoxville/majors/) reports [median federal debt of $25,548](/school/the-university-of-tennessee-knoxville/cost/) among Forestry completers who borrowed, and the program's median earnings four years after completing are $57,436. |
| 20 | Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN | $56,754 | $14,600 | $5,098 | 49.9% |
|  | [Purdue University-Main Campus](/school/purdue-university-main-campus/majors/) [ranks 87th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/purdue-university-main-campus/) among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports an average net price of $14,600. |
| 21 | University of Maine · Orono, ME | $56,124 | $17,510 | $12,642 | 96.6% |
|  | [University of Maine](/school/university-of-maine/majors/) [admits 97% of applicants](/school/university-of-maine/admissions/), and its Forestry graduates earn a median of $56,124 four years after completing. |
| 22 | Michigan Technological University · Houghton, MI | $55,912 | $14,182 | $2,045 | 92.4% |
|  | An [average net price of $2,045](/school/michigan-technological-university/cost/) for families earning under $30,000 at [Michigan Technological University](/school/michigan-technological-university/majors/) sits alongside median earnings of $55,912 for Forestry graduates four years after completing. |
| 23 | Stephen F Austin State University · Nacogdoches, TX | $55,786 | $14,260 | $10,318 | 94.0% |
|  | [Stephen F Austin State University](/school/stephen-f-austin-state-university/majors/) reports [median federal debt of $21,597](/school/stephen-f-austin-state-university/cost/) among Forestry completers who borrowed, and the program's graduates earn a median of $55,786 four years after completing. |
| 24 | Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI | $55,724 | $19,680 | $7,068 | 84.8% |
|  | [Michigan State University](/school/michigan-state-university/majors/) [ranks 69th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/michigan-state-university/) among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Forestry graduates earn a median of $55,724 four years after completing. |
| 25 | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point · Stevens Point, WI | $55,724 | $14,559 | $8,833 | 91.8% |
|  | [University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point](/school/university-of-wisconsin-stevens-point/majors/) reports [median earnings of $55,724](/school/university-of-wisconsin-stevens-point/outcomes/) for its Forestry graduates four years after completing, from a cohort of 55. |

Continue by region[Best Forestry Programs in the Midwest](/rankings/best-forestry-programs-in-the-midwest/)[Best Forestry Programs in the South](/rankings/best-forestry-programs-in-the-south/)[Best Forestry Programs in the West](/rankings/best-forestry-programs-in-the-west/)

## How this list is ordered

Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Forestry graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the United States appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 2 of the 33 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between North Carolina State University at Raleigh and California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt is $6,508, and the spread from the top of the list to the bottom reaches $49,683.

## Job market context in the United States

The Bureau of Labor Statistics links Forestry to occupations such as First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers, Forest and Conservation Technicians, and Conservation Scientists. Across those occupations, the median annual wage is $60,090, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $49,027. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 0.7% higher, with about 1,332 openings a year for every hundred graduates, more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the occupation-wide wage figures, so the two are not the same measure.

## Related rankings

-   Natural Resources Colleges
-   Natural Resources Colleges for Social Mobility