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2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k

16 Ranked Colleges
1,729 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

Environmental Studies is the 87th most popular major in the country with 9,899 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

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 $48-$75k” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in environmental studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality environmental studies 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 studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 16 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Studies (Income $48-$75k) in California

1

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #1 spot on the list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 359 ’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $13,423 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 - Berkeley Environmental Studies Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ecosystem studies degrees to 80 students in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also took the #2 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $14,193 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Read full report on Environmental Studies at University of California - Davis

3

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #3 spot on the list. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 ’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,275 for california ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 Studies at University of California - Irvine

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 377 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCSB has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,583 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UCSB.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at UCSB

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 83 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,310 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Read more about Environmental Studies at University of California - San Diego

6

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 192 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $15,567 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. 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 UC Santa Cruz Environmental Studies Report

7
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 83 degrees to qualified ’s ecosystem studies students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, SDSU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,698 for california ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Diego State University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 89%.

Full San Diego State University Environmental Studies Report

8

California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Seaside, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 48 diplomas to qualified ’s ecosystem studies students in 2020-2021.

CSUMB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSUMB is $14,319 for california ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 CSUMB Environmental Studies Report

9
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 24 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Humboldt State University also took the #11 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,716 for california ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Humboldt State University.

Read more about Environmental Studies at Humboldt State University

10

California State University - East Bay landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 13 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $15,615 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

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

11
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 ’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

SFSU also made our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $16,065 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at SFSU

12

With a ranking of #12, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 52 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUSM also took the #17 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $14,309 for california ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 full report on Environmental Studies at California State University - San Marcos

13
Oxy crest
Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

Occidental College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. Occidental College 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 Occidental College is $18,209 for california ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. 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%.

Read more about Environmental Studies at Oxy

14
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

With a ranking of #14, Santa Clara University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ecosystem studies degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, SCU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Santa Clara University is $29,618 for california ecosystem studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Read more about Environmental Studies at Santa Clara University

15

16
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. USFCA is located in San Francisco, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 44 ’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $36,818 for California Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend USFCA.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Environmental Studies at USFCA

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