2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
16
Ranked Colleges
1,729
Degrees Awarded
$13,000
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 9,899 people earned their degree in environmental studies, making the major the 87th most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 1,729 environmental studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in environmental studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great environmental studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the environmental studies 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 Environmental Studies Schools
The ecosystem studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 16 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California
Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 359 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,450 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full University of California - Berkeley Environmental Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 80 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,006 for california ecosystem studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full University of California - Davis Environmental Studies Report
Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 377 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSB also made our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $10,568 for California Ecosystem Studies 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Environmental Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 39 degrees to qualified ’s ecosystem studies students in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,540 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Environmental Studies at University of California - Irvine
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 Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 83 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SDSU also made our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $7,169 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read full report on Environmental Studies at San Diego State University
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ecosystem studies degrees to 83 students in 2020-2021.
UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,823 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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%.
Full University of California - San Diego Environmental Studies Report
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ecosystem studies degrees to 192 students in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz also took the #6 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $11,038 for California Ecosystem Studies 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 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%.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Environmental Studies Report
California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Seaside, California, and it awarded 48 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUMB also took the #13 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,192 for california ecosystem studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Monterey Bay.
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 Studies at CSUMB
Humboldt State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 24 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Humboldt State University, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,473 for california ecosystem studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Humboldt State University.
Read full report on Environmental Studies at Humboldt State University
California State University - East Bay came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 13 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State East Bay not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,975 for california ecosystem studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - East Bay.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Cal State East Bay Environmental Studies Report
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 41 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california ecosystem studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, SFSU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,705 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Francisco State University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Environmental Studies at San Francisco State University
Occidental College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oxy is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Oxy not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Oxy is $14,452 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Environmental Studies at Oxy
With a ranking of #13, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - San Marcos is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 52 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUSM also took the #17 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUSM is $9,397 for california ecosystem studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Environmental Studies at CSUSM
With a ranking of #14, Santa Clara University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Clara, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $26,428 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Santa Clara University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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 more about Environmental Studies at Santa Clara University
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