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2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

11 Ranked Colleges
257 Degrees Awarded
$9,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Environmental Engineering is the 166th most popular major in the country with 2,802 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, environmental engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $52,600 and had an average of $23,573 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 332 environmental engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,675 and $22,465 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 257 environmental engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in environmental engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent environmental engineering 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 engineering 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 environmental engineering 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 Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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

Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s environmental engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Environmental Engineering at Stanford

#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 2 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,392 for california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read more about Environmental Engineering at UC Irvine

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for California Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Environmental Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCR is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $8,366 for California Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Riverside Environmental Engineering Report

#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 38 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $8,870 for California Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Environmental Engineering at SDSU

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s environmental engineering students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $9,842 for California Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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 full report on Environmental Engineering at UC Davis

#6 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,280 for california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Environmental Engineering Report

#9

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

University of Southern California landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s environmental engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Read full report on Environmental Engineering at University of Southern California

#10

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California

Humboldt State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Arcata, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees to 68 students in 2019-2020.

Humboldt State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $11,263 for california bachelor’s degree environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Humboldt State University Environmental Engineering Report

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Merced did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Merced, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s environmental engineering degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

UC Merced not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,782 for California Bachelor’s Degree Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Merced.

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 86%.

Full UC Merced Environmental Engineering 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

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