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2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

17 Ranked Colleges
1,462 Degrees Awarded
$23,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $75-$110k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Environmental Studies is the 85th most popular major in the country with 9,869 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 1,707 environmental studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,462 environmental studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in environmental studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent environmental studies 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 studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Environmental Studies 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 Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 17 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Studies (Income $75-$110k) in California

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 311 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ecosystem studies students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $21,401 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Environmental Studies Report

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 76 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,622 for california bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

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

Full University of California - Davis Environmental Studies Report

#3

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 358 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students whose families make $75-$110k list, UCSB has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $22,226 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

Read full report on Environmental Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara

#4

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $18,766 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full San Diego State University Environmental Studies Report

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 66 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $20,205 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UCSD.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.

Full UCSD Environmental Studies Report

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $19,851 for california bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UC Irvine Environmental Studies Report

#13 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 13 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,710 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal State East Bay.

Full Cal State East Bay Environmental Studies Report

#14 in overall quality

California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - Monterey Bay is a medium-sized school located in Seaside, California that handed out 41 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUMB, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Monterey Bay is $17,719 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 Studies at CSUMB

#9

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#11 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 213 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $22,739 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

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

Read more about Environmental Studies at University of California - Santa Cruz

#10

University of Redlands

Redlands, California
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, University of Redlands did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Redlands, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

University of Redlands did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Redlands is $27,920 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Read more about Environmental Studies at University of Redlands

#11

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#15 in overall quality

San Francisco State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also took the #15 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $21,027 for california bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at SFSU

#12

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California
#16 in overall quality

Humboldt State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Arcata, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 31 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s ecosystem studies students in 2019-2020.

Humboldt State University also took the #16 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $20,170 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Humboldt State University.

Full Humboldt State University Environmental Studies Report

#13

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

Occidental College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ecosystem studies students in 2019-2020.

Oxy also took the #3 spot in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oxy is $27,417 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

The 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 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 more about Environmental Studies at Occidental College

#14

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

University of Southern California landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s ecosystem studies students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students whose families make $75-$110k list, USC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $30,858 for california bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

The impressive 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. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read more about Environmental Studies at University of Southern California

#17 in overall quality

The University of Arizona Global Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UAGC is a large private for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 49 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UAGC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UAGC is $23,585 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at UAGC

#16

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California
#4 in overall quality

Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #16. SCU is located in Santa Clara, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

SCU also made our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Santa Clara University is $31,362 for California Bachelor’s Degree Ecosystem Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

Read more about Environmental Studies at Santa Clara University

#17

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#9 in overall quality

University of San Francisco landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 26 bachelors’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students whose families make $75-$110k list, USFCA has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Environmental Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of San Francisco is $38,753 for california bachelor’s degree ecosystem studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Read more about Environmental Studies at USFCA

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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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