Best Schools for Forestry
Forestry graduates earn a median of $60,722 within four years of graduating, ranking #115 out of 283 tracked majors — 3% below the median across all fields. There are 36 colleges nationwide with tracked earnings for this major, producing 1,158 recent graduates.
Where you study matters: North Carolina State University at Raleigh graduates earn $86,357 while University of Florida graduates earn $48,755 — a $37,602 difference. Factors like location, employer networks, co-op programs, and curriculum focus drive this gap. Across all fields, though, which major you pick separates earnings more than which college does.
Early career salary growth is modest: Forestry graduates see an average 3% increase between year 1 and year 2 post-graduation, reflecting career advancement and skill development in the first years after college.
Public vs Private: Forestry
Public schools produce comparable or higher early earnings for Forestry, often at lower tuition — making them strong value options for this major.
Forestry by State
Top Forestry Schools by Graduate Earnings
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC · Public
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
Arcata, CA · Public
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public
University of Georgia
Athens, GA · Public
Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, LA · Public
Alabama A & M University
Normal, AL · Public
Auburn University
Auburn, AL · Public
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV · Public
University of Idaho
Moscow, ID · Public
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA · Public
Clemson University
Clemson, SC · Public
Texas A&M University-College Station
College Station, TX · Public
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Fort Collins, CO · Public
The University of Montana
Missoula, MT · Public
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN · Public
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS · Public
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Tifton, GA · Public
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Syracuse, NY · Public
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN · Public
Purdue University-Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN · Public
University of Maine
Orono, ME · Public
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI · Public
Stephen F Austin State University
Nacogdoches, TX · Public
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI · Public
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Stevens Point, WI · Public
Iowa State University
Ames, IA · Public
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ · Public
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY · Public
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale, IL · Public
Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science
Paul Smiths, NY · Private
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL · Public
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR · Public
Oregon State University-Cascades Campus
Bend, OR · Public
University of Nevada-Reno
Reno, NV · Public
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBois
DuBois, PA · Public
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
University Park, PA · Public
Majors with Similar Earnings
Frequently Asked Questions
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Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median 2 years after graduation for bachelor's degree holders, from the field-of-study file last updated June 2026. Institution-level figures elsewhere on the site come from the June 2026 release — Scorecard publishes the two separately.
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