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Best Schools for Forestry in 2026

29 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Forestry, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Forestry graduate earns $42,703/yr across 29 schools.

Programs Ranked
29
Avg Earnings
$42,703/yr
Avg DW Score
43/100
AI Risk
Moderate
36% task exposure

All Forestry Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC · Public 		60
58–61 		$61,142/yr 19.2x
2 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public 		58
55–58 		$55,092/yr 15.5x
3 California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
Arcata, CA · Public 		57
54–57 		$52,810/yr 19.1x
4 University of Georgia
Athens, GA · Public 		56
54–56 		$47,214/yr 16.2x
5 University of Idaho
Moscow, ID · Public 		52
50–53 		$47,399/yr 16.1x
6 Auburn University
Auburn, AL · Public 		50
47–50 		$51,421/yr 11.0x
7 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Tifton, GA · Public 		49
49–50 		$40,065/yr 40.3x
8 Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS · Public 		49
49–50 		$40,219/yr 15.8x
9 University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Stevens Point, WI · Public 		48
47–49 		$41,177/yr 15.8x
10 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA · Public 		46
44–46 		$45,817/yr 9.0x
11 Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ · Public 		45
44–45 		$40,435/yr 11.2x
12 West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV · Public 		45
44–46 		$43,228/yr 12.8x
13 Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI · Public 		44
42–44 		$45,571/yr 7.4x
14 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN · Public 		44
43–45 		$43,842/yr 8.6x
15 Clemson University
Clemson, SC · Public 		44
41–44 		$53,850/yr 7.4x
16 Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, LA · Public 		40
39–41 		$44,120/yr 9.9x
17 Purdue University-Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN · Public 		40
38–40 		$43,029/yr 9.8x
18 University of Maine
Orono, ME · Public 		38
37–39 		$43,901/yr 7.7x
19 Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Fort Collins, CO · Public 		37
38–38 		$37,539/yr 9.4x
20 Iowa State University
Ames, IA · Public 		36
36–37 		$39,337/yr 9.8x
21 Stephen F Austin State University
Nacogdoches, TX · Public 		36
36–37 		$39,953/yr 8.4x
22 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale, IL · Public 		35
36–36 		$35,398/yr 9.2x
23 Texas A & M University-College Station
College Station, TX · Public 		35
34–36 		$40,314/yr 6.7x
24 The University of Montana
Missoula, MT · Public 		34
36–34 		$31,138/yr 13.8x
25 Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science
Paul Smiths, NY · Private nonprofit 		34
33–35 		$44,342/yr 3.2x
26 University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY · Public 		33
35–34 		$32,573/yr 9.4x
27 Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI · Public 		33
33–34 		$39,178/yr 5.1x
28 University of Florida
Gainesville, FL · Public 		32
35–33 		$26,838/yr 17.8x
29 The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN · Public 		26
28–26 		$31,441/yr 4.8x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Forestry?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score, North Carolina State University at Raleigh ranks #1 for Forestry with a score of 60/100 and graduate earnings of $61,142/yr.
How much do Forestry graduates earn?
Across 29 schools, Forestry graduates earn an average of $42,703/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $61,142/yr.
Is Forestry a good major for AI resistance?
Forestry has an average AI task exposure of 36%, rated "Moderate". This field has moderate AI exposure — some career paths are more resilient than others.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.