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2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

26 Ranked Colleges
2,831 Degrees Awarded
$17,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor's in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking.

Natural Resources Conservation is the 50th most popular major in the country with 22,202 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, natural resources conservation graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,654 and had an average of $25,969 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 3,508 natural resources conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,900 and $23,509 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,831 natural resources conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking analyzed 26 colleges that offered a degree in natural resources conservation. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great natural resources conservation programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the natural resources conservation 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The conservation 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 Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree conservation students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 75 bachelors’s conservation degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree conservation students list, UCLA has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

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

Full University of California - Los Angeles Natural Resources Conservation Report

#2

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #2 spot on the list. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s conservation degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree conservation students list, San Jose State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree conservation students 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%.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at San Jose State University

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 506 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree conservation students per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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 student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 full report on Natural Resources Conservation at UC Berkeley

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 39 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students per year to attend CSULB.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Natural Resources Conservation Report

#5

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

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 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 358 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree conservation students list, UCSB has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree conservation students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Natural Resources Conservation Report

California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Seaside, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s conservation degrees to 72 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree conservation students list, CSUMB has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,212 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students per year to attend CSUMB.

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 more about Natural Resources Conservation at CSUMB

#7

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 98 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree conservation students list, SDSU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students per year to attend San Diego State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full SDSU Natural Resources Conservation Report

#8

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #8. Rohnert Park, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s conservation degrees to 43 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree conservation students list, SSU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Sonoma State University is $17,478 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students.

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%.

Full Sonoma State University Natural Resources Conservation Report

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 272 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #6 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students.

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

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at University of California - Davis

California State University - Sacramento landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also took the #17 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree conservation students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Sac State

With a ranking of #11, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 23 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State East Bay, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree conservation students per year to attend California State University - East Bay.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Cal State East Bay

#12

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. CSUSB is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSB also made our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree conservation students.

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

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at California State University - San Bernardino

University of California - San Diego came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 66 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree conservation students.

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 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%.

Full University of California - San Diego Natural Resources Conservation Report

#14

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students.

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 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%.

Full University of California - Riverside Natural Resources Conservation Report

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 44 degrees to qualified bachelors’s conservation students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students 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 low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 - Irvine Natural Resources Conservation Report

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s conservation students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree conservation students list, Chico State has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Chico State

#17

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #17, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 52 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s conservation students in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students.

Full SFSU Natural Resources Conservation Report

#18

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California

Humboldt State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Arcata, California, and it awarded 153 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Humboldt State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $14,692 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Humboldt State University

#19

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 246 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #15 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $18,186 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Natural Resources Conservation Report

#21

University of Redlands

Redlands, California

University of Redlands did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Redlands, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 44 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s conservation students in 2019-2020.

University of Redlands also took the #16 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $27,958 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students per year to attend University of Redlands.

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%.

Full University of Redlands Natural Resources Conservation Report

#22

University of San Diego

San Diego, California

University of San Diego landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 35 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s conservation students in 2019-2020.

USD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $32,460 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students per year to attend University of San Diego.

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 full report on Natural Resources Conservation at University of San Diego

#23

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California

With a ranking of #23, Santa Clara University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Santa Clara University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clara, California. It awarded 41 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree conservation students list, SCU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Santa Clara University is $38,327 for california bachelor’s degree conservation students.

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%. 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 Natural Resources Conservation at SCU

#24

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 46 bachelors’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USFCA is $36,424 for California Bachelor’s Degree Conservation students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at USFCA

#25

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California

Occidental College landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s conservation students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree conservation students list, Oxy has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $29,638 for california bachelor’s degree conservation students per year to attend Occidental College.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.

Full Occidental College Natural Resources Conservation 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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