Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

11 Ranked Colleges
525 Degrees Awarded
$17,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor's in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 7,312 people earned their degree in ecology, evolution and systematics biology, making the major the 103rd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, ecology, evolution and systematics biology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,807 and had an average of $31,265 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 760 ecology, evolution and systematics biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,714 and $26,101 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 525 ecology, evolution and systematics biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in ecology, evolution and systematics biology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality ecology, evolution and systematics biology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the ecology, evolution and systematics biology program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree ecology students.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 50 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree ecology students per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full UCLA Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 31 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ecology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ecology students list, CSULB has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree ecology students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at California State University - Long Beach

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $12,734 for california bachelor’s degree ecology students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

#4

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at San Jose State University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 114 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ecology students list, UCSD has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at University of California - San Diego

#6

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #6. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 81 bachelors’s ecology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ecology students list, UCSB has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree ecology students per year to attend UCSB.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at University of California - Santa Barbara

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #7. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 13 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree ecology students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at University of California - Irvine

#8

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #8. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 160 bachelors’s ecology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ecology students list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

University of California - Davis came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 39 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ecology students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at UC Davis

#10

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California
#10 in overall quality

Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #10. Mount Saint Mary’s University is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s ecology degrees to qualified students.

MSMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $29,214 for california bachelor’s degree ecology students per year to attend Mount Saint Mary’s University.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at MSMU

#11

University of San Diego

San Diego, California
#8 in overall quality

University of San Diego came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USD also made our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $32,460 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecology students per year to attend USD.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full USD Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

Featured Biology Schools

Find Schools Near You