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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Science (Income $30-$48k) in California

22 Ranked Colleges
1,178 Degrees Awarded
$12,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 $30-$48k” 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.

This year’s “Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 22 colleges that offered a degree in environmental science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great environmental science programs and cost less that 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Environmental Science 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 Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to 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 $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 22 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Science (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1 in overall quality

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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 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 $9,130 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 75 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,254 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCLA.

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%.

Read more about Environmental Science at University of California - Los Angeles

#8 in overall quality

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Riverside landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 47 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences students 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. It costs about $9,151 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCR.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 students.

Read more about Environmental Science at UCR

#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,373 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 94%.

Read more about Environmental Science at University of California - Irvine

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 138 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $10,769 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Davis Environmental Science Report

#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#10 in overall quality

San Diego State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 33 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $10,594 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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 San Diego State University 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 $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 39 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to qualified students.

CSULB also made our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $7,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Environmental Science at CSULB

#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 $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSB also took the #20 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $5,869 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full CSUSB 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 $30-$48k list. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 56 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to qualified students.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #6 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,752 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend San Jose State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State University Environmental Science Report

#11

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 33 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $11,793 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Environmental Science at UC Santa Cruz

#12

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

University of Southern California came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 37 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $16,252 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Environmental Science at University of Southern California

#17 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 10 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,891 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal State East Bay.

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

#18 in overall quality

California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSUMB is a medium-sized school located in Seaside, California that handed out 31 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUMB also made our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $9,567 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Monterey Bay.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#15

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#21 in overall quality

San Francisco State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school awarded 25 degrees to qualified bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, SFSU has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,517 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Full SFSU Environmental Science Report

#16

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. SSU is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 43 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

SSU also took the #16 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sonoma State University is $13,248 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Environmental Science at SSU

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Chico ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chico State 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 also made our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $11,576 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Read full report on Environmental Science at Chico State

#18

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California
#22 in overall quality

Humboldt State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Humboldt State University is located in Arcata, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 122 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Humboldt State University, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $12,775 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Environmental Science at Humboldt State University

#19

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California
#4 in overall quality

Santa Clara University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. 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 also took the #4 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $18,949 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Santa Clara University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.

Read full report on Environmental Science at SCU

#20

University of San Diego

San Diego, California
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, University of San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. USD 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.

USD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $23,224 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k 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%.

Read more about Environmental Science at University of San Diego

#21

University of Redlands

Redlands, California
#13 in overall quality

University of Redlands came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bioenvironmental Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Redlands is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Redlands, California. It awarded 27 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Redlands, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Redlands is $22,240 for california bachelor’s degree bioenvironmental sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full University of Redlands Environmental Science Report

#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 $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #22. USFCA is located in San Francisco, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s bioenvironmental sciences degrees to qualified students.

USFCA also took the #9 spot in our “Best Environmental Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USFCA is $29,186 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bioenvironmental Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 USFCA 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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