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2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

11 Ranked Colleges
257 Degrees Awarded
$16,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Environmental Engineering is the 166th most popular major in the country with 2,802 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, environmental engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $52,600 and had an average of $23,573 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 332 environmental engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,675 and $22,465 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 257 environmental engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in environmental engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality environmental engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the environmental engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Environmental Engineering Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students with aid.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Engineering in California (With Aid)

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s environmental engineering students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students with aid list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,496 for california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students with aid per year to attend Stanford.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 Environmental Engineering at Stanford

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Riverside landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 29 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Environmental Engineering at University of California - Riverside

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 14 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Environmental Engineering at University of California - Irvine

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #4 spot on the list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 38 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Environmental Engineering Report

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #5 spot on the list. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students with aid list, UCSD has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full University of California - San Diego Environmental Engineering Report

#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 38 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

Full SDSU Environmental Engineering Report

#5 in overall quality

University of California - Davis landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 22 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #5 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Davis Environmental Engineering Report

#4 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Environmental Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

#9

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California

Humboldt State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Arcata, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees to 68 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Humboldt State University, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $14,692 for california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students with aid.

Read more about Environmental Engineering at Humboldt State University

University of California - Merced ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 14 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Merced, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,896 for california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students with aid per year to attend University of California - Merced.

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 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Environmental Engineering at UC Merced

#11

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

University of Southern California ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s environmental engineering students in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $29,528 for california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students with aid per year to attend USC.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full USC Environmental Engineering Report

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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.

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