2026 Best Value Evolutionary Biology Schools in California
[Evolutionary Biology](/majors/biological-biomedical-sciences/ecology-evolution-systematics-population-biology/ecology-and-evolutionary-biology/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong evolutionary biology education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for evolutionary biology students.
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2026 Best Value Evolutionary Biology Schools in California
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the evolutionary biology degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Evolutionary Biology Schools
Leading the list is University Of California Irvine, our #1 best value for evolutionary biology in California. Set in the city of Irvine, University Of California Irvine is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $14,752, with out-of-state students paying around $46,640. Students borrow a median of $16,539 to complete the evolutionary biology program here. Evolutionary Biology graduates of University Of California Irvine earn a median of $50,958 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 29%.
Students looking for strong value in evolutionary biology will find it at University Of California Davis, which ranked #2. Set in the suburb of Davis, University Of California Davis is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $15,804 in tuition and fees, compared with $47,692 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $19,951 to complete the evolutionary biology program here. Early-career evolutionary biology graduates make about $32,161. That is a strong return on a $19,951 median debt. Roughly 42% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.
