2023 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
23
Ranked Colleges
1,329
Degrees Awarded
$12,100
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 9,274 people earned their degree in environmental science, making the major the 91st most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 1,329 environmental science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 23 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in environmental science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality environmental science 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 environmental science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to 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 Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 23 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Science (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 61 diplomas to qualified ’s bioenvironmental sciences students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,450 for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.
Read full report on Environmental Science at University of California - Berkeley
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #2 spot on the list. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 124 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Davis has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,006 for California 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 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
Full University of California - Davis Environmental Science Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 101 diplomas to qualified ’s bioenvironmental sciences students in 2020-2021.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,037 for California Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Environmental Science at UCLA
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 93 degrees to qualified ’s bioenvironmental sciences students in 2020-2021.
UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,568 for California Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UCSB Environmental Science Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 26 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” list. It costs about $7,169 for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Diego State University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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 89%.
Read full report on Environmental Science at SDSU
California State University - Fullerton landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 17 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $4,590 for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Read full report on Environmental Science at Cal State Fullerton
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $11,038 for California 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 85%. The low undergrad 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 UC Santa Cruz Environmental Science Report
University of California - Riverside came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 44 diplomas to qualified ’s bioenvironmental sciences students in 2020-2021.
UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $6,810 for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Environmental Science at UCR
San Jose State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 66 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $12,158 for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Full San Jose State Environmental Science Report
California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Seaside, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 38 degrees to qualified ’s bioenvironmental sciences students in 2020-2021.
CSUMB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Monterey Bay is $9,192 for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full CSUMB Environmental Science Report
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to qualified students.
CSUSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $5,985 for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full CSUSB Environmental Science Report
California State University - Long Beach came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 55 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB also took the #22 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,663 for California Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Sacramento ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 57 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State also made our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $8,163 for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Sacramento Environmental Science Report
Humboldt State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Humboldt State University is located in Arcata, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 128 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, Humboldt State University has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,473 for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Humboldt State University.
Full Humboldt State University Environmental Science Report
San Francisco State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, SFSU has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $10,705 for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full SFSU Environmental Science Report
Pitzer College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Pitzer is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pitzer, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,747 for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pitzer.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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.
Full Pitzer Environmental Science Report
With a ranking of #17, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.
Chico State also took the #20 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,754 for California Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Chico.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
Read more about Environmental Science at Chico State
Sonoma State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Rohnert Park, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
SSU also took the #19 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SSU is $12,803 for California Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Environmental Science at SSU
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 10 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,173 for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Environmental Science at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Santa Clara University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Santa Clara University is a medium-sized school located in Santa Clara, California that handed out 20 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
SCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Santa Clara University is $26,428 for California 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 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Read more about Environmental Science at Santa Clara University
University of Redlands landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Redlands, California, and it awarded 24 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Redlands has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Redlands is $20,409 for California Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad 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 more about Environmental Science at University of Redlands
University of San Diego landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of San Diego is a medium-sized school located in San Diego, California that handed out 52 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USD, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,951 for California Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of San Diego.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Environmental Science at University of San Diego
With a ranking of #23, University of San Francisco did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of San Francisco is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 22 ’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
USFCA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Environmental Science Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of San Francisco is $32,023 for california bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Environmental Science at USFCA
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
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
- *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.
college factual
(NRCS_Photo_Gallery).jpg){kind=link}