Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences in California

25 Ranked Colleges
572 Degrees Awarded
$12,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor's in California

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Geology & Earth Sciences is the 101st most popular major in the country with 7,036 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 848 geology and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 572 geology and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking, we looked at 25 colleges that offer a degree in geology and earth sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geology and earth sciences 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 geology and earth sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences in California

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree geology students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at California State University - Long Beach

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #2 spot on the list. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree geology students list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#12 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 20 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geology students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree geology students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Cal State Fullerton

#18 in overall quality

Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Bakersfield landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Bakersfield is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUB also took the #18 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at CSUB

#5

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#3 in overall quality

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 Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 63 students in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

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

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara

#14 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 18 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#16 in overall quality

San Francisco State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 1 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree geology students.

Full SFSU Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#8

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#15 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 28 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also took the #15 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, 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%.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at San Diego State University

#9

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students per year to attend UCLA.

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

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Chico ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Chico State is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 4 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students per year to attend California State University - Chico.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Chico State

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree geology students per year to attend University of California - Davis.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at University of California - Davis

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full UC Irvine Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#13

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSB, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

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

Full California State University - San Bernardino Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#11 in overall quality

University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #14. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 19 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Merced also made our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $13,896 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students per year to attend University of California - Merced.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Merced Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#15

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#4 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #15. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree geology students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 more about Geology & Earth Sciences at UC Berkeley

#16

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#7 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geology degrees to 66 students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree geology 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at University of California - Santa Cruz

#20 in overall quality

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #17. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA also made our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree geology students per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The 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 more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Cal State LA

#18

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California
#21 in overall quality

Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #18. This medium-sized school is located in Arcata, California, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Humboldt State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $14,692 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Humboldt State University

#19

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#13 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 14 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree geology students list, UCR has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree geology students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 UCR Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Fresno State also took the #24 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at California State University - Fresno

#23 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay also made our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. The yearly cost to attend Cal State East Bay is $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at California State University - East Bay

#17 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s geology degrees to qualified students.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree geology students per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at University of California - San Diego

#25 in overall quality

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #23. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Stan State also made our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $6,019 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Stan State

#24

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#2 in overall quality

Stanford University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 30 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree geology students list, Stanford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Stanford

#25

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#1 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California Institute of Technology is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 2 bachelors’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech also made our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $24,274 for California Bachelor’s Degree Geology students per year to attend California Institute of Technology.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at California Institute of Technology

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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 Kelvinsong.

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You