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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Science (Income $0-$30k) in California

22 Ranked Colleges
1,178 Degrees Awarded
$12,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 9,339 people earned their degree in environmental science, making the major the 90th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 1,364 environmental science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,178 environmental science graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 22 colleges that offer a degree in environmental science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent environmental science programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the environmental science program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 22 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Science (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 63 degrees to qualified bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,392 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Environmental Science at UC Berkeley

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 75 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCLA has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCLA Environmental Science Report

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #3 spot on the list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Environmental Science at University of California - Irvine

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $8,366 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCR Environmental Science Report

#5

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 33 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $8,870 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full SDSU Environmental Science Report

#5 in overall quality

University of California - Davis came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 138 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $9,842 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 UC Davis Environmental Science Report

#15 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,364 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSULB.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State University - Long Beach Environmental Science Report

#20 in overall quality

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUSB is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSB also made our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $5,077 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full California State University - San Bernardino Environmental Science Report

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 56 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also took the #14 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $6,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Sac State Environmental Science Report

#10

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#6 in overall quality

San Jose State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 61 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to qualified students.

San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,940 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Environmental Science at San Jose State

#11

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#12 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 33 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $10,872 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 University of California - Santa Cruz Environmental Science Report

#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Monterey Bay is a medium-sized school located in Seaside, California that handed out 31 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUMB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $7,688 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Monterey Bay.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Environmental Science at California State University - Monterey Bay

#17 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal State East Bay has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,036 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - East Bay.

Full California State University - East Bay Environmental Science Report

#14

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

University of Southern California landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 37 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Environmental Science at University of Southern California

#15

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#21 in overall quality

San Francisco State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 25 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $11,123 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full SFSU Environmental Science Report

#16

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California
#16 in overall quality

Sonoma State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. SSU is a public institution located in Rohnert Park, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, SSU has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SSU is $12,263 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full SSU Environmental Science Report

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $10,260 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Chico State Environmental Science Report

#18

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California
#22 in overall quality

Humboldt State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Arcata, California. It awarded 122 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, Humboldt State University has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $11,263 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Environmental Science at Humboldt State University

#19

University of Redlands

Redlands, California
#13 in overall quality

University of Redlands came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit institution located in Redlands, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Redlands did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Redlands is $21,763 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 more about Environmental Science at University of Redlands

#20

University of San Diego

San Diego, California
#11 in overall quality

University of San Diego came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of San Diego is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 35 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, USD has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of San Diego is $22,263 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Environmental Science at University of San Diego

#21

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California
#4 in overall quality

Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clara, California. It awarded 11 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

SCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SCU is $22,356 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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 Environmental Science at SCU

#22

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#9 in overall quality

University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. University of San Francisco is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 20 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

USFCA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of San Francisco is $27,690 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of San Francisco Environmental Science 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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Lynn Betts.

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