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2023 Best Environmental Studies Colleges for Veterans in California

15 Ranked Colleges
1,729 Degrees Awarded
$34,800 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree in environmental studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent environmental studies programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the environmental studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Environmental Studies Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Ecosystem Studies Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies”.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies

The colleges and universities below are the best for california vets studying ecosystem studies.

Top 15 Best Environmental Studies Colleges for Veterans in California

1
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies list. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 83 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, SDSU supports 36,334 students, and 1,433 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 853 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,806. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full San Diego State University Veteran Student Life Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies. 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 also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, UCSD supports 39,576 students, and 112 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 54 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $1,596. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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3

Out of the 15 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 39 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 8 of the 36,303 students enrolled at UC Irvine were GI Bill® students, of which 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,620. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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%.

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4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies list. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 80 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 31 of the 39,074 students enrolled at University of California - Davis were GI Bill® students, of which 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,489. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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.

Full University of California - Davis Veteran Student Life Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 377 diplomas to qualified ’s ecosystem studies students in 2020-2021.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 26,179 students enrolled at University of California - Santa Barbara, 286 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 128 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,510. To help with additional expenses, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 91%.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Veteran Student Life Report

6
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #6, University of San Francisco did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies list. University of San Francisco is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 44 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.

USFCA also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 6 of the 10,068 students enrolled at University of San Francisco were GI Bill® students, of which 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,232. During this same period, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Read More…

7

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies ranking, coming in at #7. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 192 ’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 273 of the 19,161 students enrolled at UC Santa Cruz were GI Bill® students, of which 114 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,631. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Veteran Student Life Report

8
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ecosystem studies degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 27,349 students enrolled at San Francisco State University, 950 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 536 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,581. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at SFSU]](/colleges/san-francisco-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

9
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies list. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 6,612 students enrolled at Humboldt State University, 177 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 68 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,772. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Humboldt State University]](/colleges/humboldt-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

10

California State University - San Marcos ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies list. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school handed out 52 degrees to qualified ’s ecosystem studies students in 2020-2021.

CSUSM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 16,367 students enrolled at CSUSM, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,056. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. CSUSM offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at California State University - San Marcos]](/colleges/california-state-university-san-marcos/student-life/veterans/)

11

California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies ranking. California State University - Monterey Bay is located in Seaside, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 ’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUMB, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 7,409 students enrolled at CSUMB, 20 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 11 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,369. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. CSUMB does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 CSUMB Veteran Student Life Report

12

With a ranking of #12, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies list. Monterey, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ecosystem studies degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california vets studying ecosystem studies list, Middlebury Institute has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 36 of the 686 students enrolled at Middlebury Institute were GI Bill® students, of which 34 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,444. During this same period, 24 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 1 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey Veteran Student Life Report

13
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies 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.

SCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, SCU supports 8,616 students, and 106 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 68 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,898. On top of their other funding sources, 38 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Santa Clara University]](/colleges/santa-clara-university/student-life/veterans/)

14

California State University - East Bay ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies list. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 13 ’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Cal State East Bay supports 16,253 students, and 32 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 16 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,956. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cal State East Bay does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Full Cal State East Bay Veteran Student Life Report

15
Oxy crest
Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

Occidental College ranked #15 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Ecosystem Studies list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ecosystem studies degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.

Oxy also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 1,839 students enrolled at Oxy, 24 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 14 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $26,731. During this same period, 15 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. 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.

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Notes and References

References

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