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2023 Best Value Colleges for Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology (Income $30-$48k) in California

14 Ranked Colleges
731 Degrees Awarded
$10,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

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 Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology is the 103rd most popular major in the country with 7,247 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, ecology, evolution and systematics biology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $35,579 and had an average of $23,052 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 731 ecology, evolution and systematics biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,808 and $18,961 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in ecology, evolution and systematics biology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent ecology, evolution and systematics biology programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the ecology, evolution and systematics biology program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology (Income $30-$48k) in California

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford also made our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $1,581 for california ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at Stanford

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 14 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $9,999 for California Ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at UC Berkeley

3

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s ecology degrees to qualified students.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,891 for california ecology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at University of California - Los Angeles

4

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #4 spot on the list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ecology degrees to 157 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california ecology students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCSD has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,176 for California Ecology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSD.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 University of California - San Diego Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 83 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $11,598 for california ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at University of California - Davis

6

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 97 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,606 for california ecology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSB.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at UCSB

7

University of California - Irvine ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 ’s ecology degrees to qualified students.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $8,449 for california ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at University of California - Irvine

8

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 155 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #8 spot in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $12,049 for California Ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad 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 undergraduate students.

Full UC Santa Cruz Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

9

California State University - Long Beach landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ecology degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.

CSULB also took the #13 spot in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $7,573 for California Ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 89%.

Full CSULB Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

10

University of California - Riverside ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 8 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.

UCR also made our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $8,193 for california ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 - Riverside Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

11
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 4 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california ecology students whose families make $30-$48k list, SDSU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,274 for california ecology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend San Diego State University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full SDSU Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

12
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 9 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $17,345 for California Ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 91%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full USC Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Report

13

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school handed out 30 degrees to qualified ’s ecology students in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,992 for california ecology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

14
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Ecology Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 14 ’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california ecology students whose families make $30-$48k list, San Jose State has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $13,378 for california ecology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad 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 86%.

Read full report on Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology at San Jose State

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